


To the Edge of the Light

by EndoratheWitch



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Dark Rey, Eventual Smut, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force Ghosts, Hoth, Korriban, Light Vs. Dark, Lightsaber Battles, Lightsabers, Post The Last Jedi, Recopia, Reylo - Freeform, Sith, Slow Burn, immediately following the events of the movie, slow burn that is so slow its crawling, using some of the extended universe from the novels mixed with the movies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-02-22 00:58:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 45,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13155786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EndoratheWitch/pseuds/EndoratheWitch
Summary: Rey sets out on a journey to construct her own lightsaber. Along the way she begins to fall toward darkness. Kylo Ren decides he must save her from the dark side of the force.





	1. Quest

I love you against 

the light against 

the cold light... 

Gwendolyn MacEwen- from Selected Poems "The Death and Agony of the Butterfly" 

* 

He could see her. Kylo tried not to seek her out, but he was weak, he wanted, no...that wasn't right, he needed to see her. He cloaked himself, hoping she wouldn't detect him watching her, but he knew if he lingered she would feel him. 

Her figure seemed to glow in his sight...she called to his soul, causing his heart to ache painfully in his chest. Never in his life had he wanted someone as much as he wanted Rey. There was a hollowness there, in the middle of his very being, a hollowness that pulled at him, tugging him toward her. Kylo frowned at his weakness, but he just couldn't look away from her. She was an angel with a spine of durasteel with a power and purpose that he found...compelling. 

She was on his father's ship, sitting in the seat that his father had sat in. Her face, the smile on her lips, the way her eyes danced; she looked comfortable and right flying his father's ship. That alone hurt to see. He relived killing his father nearly every night...the dreams of his death were knotted with dreams of his early childhood...the fear in his father's eyes when Ben first used the Force...but those memories were also twisted along with the good memories of sitting on his father's lap while Han told him about each of the ship's controls, about his adventures... 

Kylo took a deep breath, returned his focus to the here and now...to her. Next to her was Chewbacca. For a moment, Kylo was struck with a vicious streak of jealously. He had wanted so much for his father to trust him with the ship...to trust him at all. But from the moment his powers began to show themselves, his father began pulling away. If he was honest with himself, Han had already been pulling away from his mother, unable to handle being a father. The call of space, the thrill of adventure, was always something that his father was more attached to than family. It was as if staying in one place drove him crazy, made him restless, but when Ben's ablitiles came in, Han couldn't get away fast enough. If Han saw how much he hurt his son, he never let on...at least not until the end when Kylo's lightsaber sliced into his chest; maybe for a moment, Kylo thought there was real regret in his father's eyes, but it was too late. Kylo knew that his family didn't love him, had never loved him, not really. They had only ever been afraid of him, his father, his uncle...even his mother. All of them saw him as a monster and so that was what he became...they wanted a monster—he would give them a monster. 

But then there had been her...Rey. Yes, she had seen him as a monster. But now, he could sense that she was...that she still held hope inside her, hope for him. She held hope for him despite what had happened. When she had walked away from him, he could still feel it...Kylo closed his eyes. He wasn't sure how he felt about her still...hoping for his redemption...he blinked rapidly as tears of pain burned his eyes. He wasn't sure how he felt about someone holding so much hope for him. His family never did...Rey held hope for him, but even she had walked away. 

Kylo stood, breaking the contact. Seeing her only brought home to him more powerfully how alone he felt. So lonely, so betrayed by her, by everyone. Yet at the same time he longed for her. She was like a bright star in his sky of endless darkness...a sign of hope...of...something he wanted more than all the power now at his fingertips. 

Acceptance. 

Kylo closed his eyes and reached up to touch the scar on his face, the scar that she put there in her anger...he squeezed his eyes shut, focusing on her face, her eyes, the way she had looked at him in the lift, telling him how she had seen his future...back in the light. 

Kylo opened his eyes and snarled, hissing to himself. “I...I don't know anyone.” 

* 

Back on the Millennium Falcon Rey smiled at Chewie as she ran her hands over the controls of the ship, having just put in the coordinates to the planet Recopia where the rebels had been offered a place to lie low and hopefully recover from the devastating blow the First Order had dealt them. 

The thought of the First Order also brought to mind Ben. Rey frowned, focusing on the controls for a moment, her mind forming an image of his face...the complete desolation he felt. Rey wasn't sure she had made the right decision, to walk away from him when he needed her the most. His pain, the betrayal he felt...She closed her eyes and immediately she felt his presence...he had been here only moments ago. 

Rey glanced sideways at Chewie. The large wookie was working on something at the console, he was completely occupied. 

Rey pressed her lips together and let her mind drift; the connection between her and Ben tugged lightly. She kept her pull on it gentle, she didn't want him to know she was looking in on him. She turned, saw him sitting on the edge of his bed, his hands folded between his knees as he stared off into the distance. He looked so sad, lost. Rey felt a twist inside her chest as she stared at him. She wanted to race to him, to turn the ship around and find him, to throw her arms around him and hold his head to her breast and tell him that she would help him, be there for him, to beg him once again to come with her, but she didn't. She couldn't. 

For a moment she wondered about what Snoke had said to them in his throne room, that he had encouraged the Force bond between them, that it wasn't something special, but her heart told her that was a lie. The Force told her Snoke's words had been a lie. Rey put a hand to her chest blinking back tears. The urge to reach for him was so very strong, strong enough that she reached out, her fingers stretching...she rose from her seat... 

Chewie asked her a question, she heard his voice, the rumbling growl accompanied by the squawk of the Porg that was always at the Wookie's side, the sounds breaking through her vision, the scene fading away like smoke. 

Rey stood there staring at the spot where Ben had been, her heart torn in two. 

* 

The following day Rey was in the number three hold of the Falcon. She didn't have a saber to practice with any more, but she did have her staff. She had her eyes closed and allowed the Force guide her, move her, let it flow through her just as Master Skywalker had taught her...or rather how he had showed her, one of her three lessons. She reached out, could feel the power of the Force, the way it flowed around her, through the people on the ship and further. 

Rey smiled, feeling the warmth, the belonging that the Force gave her while at the same time the power terrified her, especially now that she was alone. Except she wasn't alone—there was Ben. All she had to do was reach out to him. 

Rey banished the thought and focused on her movements and the Force. She twisted and turned, struck and defended, a natural fighter. Her mind reached out and without realizing it she reached out for Ben, but it wasn't Ben who answered her. She touched on the darkness without realizing what she was doing, her emotions becoming razor focused as her pain and and anger took over, flowed through her. So much anger, pain, loneliness during her harsh life on Jakku. Darkness called to her, pulled on her, whispered to her. Rey continued her exercises, let the dark side of the Force flow over her, so much power, so much strength. She knew if she used the dark side she would win, she could force the First Order back, could... Rey didn't realize how fast and powerful her movements were becoming until her stick slammed into several stacked crates, sending all of them blasting back against the wall of the hold with enough power that five of them shattered. Rey gasped, stumbling backwards. The dark side still lingered like a toxin in her system, it felt as if she were on the edge of chaos...when the doors to the hold slipped open and Princess Leia stood in the hold's doorway. 

Rey, sweating and panting from her exertion, turned around, startled like a guilty child. 

“Leia!” 

Leia smiled. “Practicing? That used to always help me when I was having trouble. Well, after I started using my Force abilities anyway. Before that I had a tendency to throw a thing or two.” 

Leia was dressed in a simple outfit of brown pants and shirt, with a poncho over the top along with a pair of thigh-high boots, her hair still up in that softer, more elegant up do she had worn recently. There was something about the clothing that reminded Rey of Han Solo. The memory caused a chill to run down her spine, but she quickly dismissed it. 

“Yes, I was just practicing, though I suppose I will never have another lightsaber,” Rey said as she moved to lean her staff against the wall. 

“It's funny you should say that. I came to talk to you about that very thing. Come with me.” Leia smiled, motioning for Rey to follow her. 

The two women left the hold and headed into the interior of the ship. The Falcon was crowded with so many people on board that movement wasn't easy as Leia led her to one of the bunks. While Leia had argued that she didn't need her own space, everyone had silently agreed to Leia having her own bunk and no matter how much the general argued, no one would listen to her in regards to his one thing. 

The bunk was small, one bunk and with little room, but the two women had some privacy as they settled into the small room, the door sliding close behind him. Leia sat on the edge of the bunk, her age and what she had been through, the death of her former lover, now her brother and her son's choices... 

Rey couldn't help it, the first words tumbled from her mouth. “I still think I can save Ben.” 

Leia looked up startled. “What?” 

“Ben, I still believe I can save him,” Rey continued. She hadn't meant to mention Ben, to say anything about him, but she couldn't help it; the words had escaped before she could stop herself. “I...I felt it. He's still conflicted. He...he can turn.” 

Leia stared at the younger woman. They had talked briefly about what had happened: Rey turning herself in to Kylo, Kylo slaying Snoke, their fight....and the ultimate decision that separated them. 

Leia smiled softly. “I've always believed that. I think I believed it more than anyone, more than his father, more than Luke, more than even Ben himself. Han and Luke were both too blinded by their fear to really see Ben...and I was too busy constantly trying to save the universe...I didn't stop to think that maybe my son needed saving as well.” 

Leia looked down at the floor, her hands grasping her knees, clearly in pain. Rey said nothing, gave the older woman time to collect her thoughts. Though the urge to reach out to her was strong Rey also felt that maybe that wasn't what Leia wanted at the moment. 

Leia took a deep breath then smiled. “You are going to want a lightsaber if you are going to be a Jedi.” 

Rey looked attentive as Leia spoke. 

“R2 has information on two possible locations for the type of crystal you are going to need, that is if you wish to use a natural crystal instead of synthetic, but I think the natural crystal will be more...appropriate for you.” Leia gave her a smile. “You can create one, but—and this is just an old lady's opinion—but I think you would be better served by a natural crystal.” 

Leia took a deep breath. “I'm not going to give you a history lesson on making a lightsaber or what materials to use. Lightsabers can be made from crystals, gemstones, minerals...the point is, you'll know which one is right for you, but you're not going to find it on this ship or with the Resistance.” Leia gave her a hard look as she continued. 

“Hopefully the books will have information on the building of a lightsaber. I can help you with what I know from making my own saber when you return, imbuing the crystal with the Force, the mechanics of the saber. But this is your journey Rey and you need to do it alone, away from us, the Resistance, the First Order...” 

Rey nodded. She thought briefly of telling her how she was still connected to Ben, but decided that the information wasn't critical right now, and there was a part of her that wanted to keep that information to herself. She wasn't really sure why, only that she...Rey decided not to examine the urge further at the moment, instead turning her attention back to Leia. 

“You said R2 had information?” Rey prompted. 

Leia nodded. “Yes, there are two possible locations for crystals that might work for a lightsaber for you. One is Hoth, an old base of the Rebel Alliance. I believe the base has been taken over by pirates. The other is Ilum, a planet of caves filled with crystals, but the planet is occupied by vicious creatures. I can't really tell you which to pick Rey, you are going to have to decide for yourself. Let the Force guide you.” 

Leia stood up and Rey pushed herself up from the wall where she had been leaning. “Once you have dropped us off at Recopia, take the Falcon and go. The sooner you have your saber, the better for us all. And the better for Ben,” she added. 

Rey nodded and left the older woman to her memories. 

* 

The next evening Rey was frowning watching Chewie and C3PO play a came of chess. The holographic display was old and the figures kept flickering in and out. She was amused watching the two of them. She had a feeling this had been an ongoing game for many years between the two of them, picked up in starts and stops through the years. Chewie was muttering, the Porg on his lap, while R2 bleeped at C3PO who gasped. “Really R2! You're language has only gotten worse over the years. I swear Master Luke should have erased your memory years ago!” 

Rey chuckled watching the three of them when Finn walked over and dropped himself down on the seat beside her, his expression anxious. 

“Is it true?” he asked. 

Rey frowned. “Is what true?” 

“Are you leaving us?” Finn asked, a small frown creasing his mouth and brow. His eyes looked sad as Rey sighed. “Yes, yes I am. Leia says I need a lightsaber, and to build one I need my own crystal.” 

“Why can't you use Luke Skywalker's?” Finn asked, a slight sullenness to his words. 

“It's broken Finn, the crystal's destroyed. And besides, this needs to be my lightsaber, not a borrowed one,” Rey explained softly. 

Finn nodded. “Okay, I'll go with you.” 

“No Finn, you need to stay with...Rose?” Rey asked gently. 

“Rose, yeah...her name is Rose.” Finn frowned deeper. He looked conflicted, but Rey reached out to lay her hand on his shoulder. 

“Finn, I need to do this alone. Rose needs you; the Resistance needs you.” Rey gave his shoulder a squeeze. 

“No...no they...” Finn started to say, but Rey gave him a hard look and he shrugged. 

“Finn, I need to do this alone and you need to be here for Rose,” she repeated. “I'll come back. I promise.” Rey smiled at him. Finn sighed and leaned against her shoulder. “I don't like it.” 

Rey smiled leaning back. “I know. I'm going to take R2 at least, and Chewie.” 

“Why not let me come too then?” Finn asked, but Rey shook her head. “It's not the same Finn.” 

Finn nodded, he understood...sort of. “I just want you to be safe Rey. You...you are my first friend. I don't want anything to happen to you. All I can think of is that Kylo Ren would come after you and you would be alone...with only an elder wookie...” 

Chewbacca looked up from the game and said something in a series of growls and snarls. Finn blinked then whispered. “What'd he say?” 

C3PO turned to Finn. “I don't think I should repeat it, but he was quite offended by you calling him old.” 

Rey chuckled. 

Finn frowned. “Ah...sorry.” 

Rey put her arm around his shoulders. “I'll be fine Finn. I promise. And I promise I'll be back before you know it.” 

Finn sighed and nodded. “I still don't like it, but all right. I trust you Rey.” 

That was the moment that Chewie roared slamming his fists on the chess table. Finn jumped to his feet, backing away. “What the...!!” 

C3PO sighed as R2 let out a long series of bleeps and chimes. “I know, I know...let the wookie win!” 

* 

That night, while Rey lay on her bunk, the sounds of others around her sleeping, she closed her eyes, letting herself relax as she reached out with the Force, her feelings running along the connection. She did her best to keep her feeling neutral, not to let her feelings of anger or betrayal run along the connection, but she just couldn't help herself. She was angry, she did feel as if he had betrayed everything...but she so desperately wanted to help him. The connection she felt toward him was so strong. And she realized that she didn't just hold feelings of anger; she also felt something...more. 

Kylo, who was in his private rooms looked up suddenly when he felt her. 

“Rey?” His voice hitched with emotion, the sound of which only made her feelings that much stronger. She wanted so much to belong...belong with someone. She had been alone for so long and now...the Force, she was alone again, but Ben...Ben understood. She realized she wasn't ready to give that up. 

“Yes, it's me.” Rey said softly, her voice moving along the Force bond. 

“Why are you..? I...I missed you.” Kylo's voice was soft. He could see her lying on her cot. And she was beautiful. His heart raced upon seeing her. He felt the same as she did, lost and alone, but here was someone who understood, someone he could talk to...like they had before... 

“Are you all right?” Ben asked. No anger, no accusations, just concern for her. 

Rey frowned feeling a pang in her chest. “I missed you too and yes, I'm all right..” 

“I didn't think you would want to talk to me again, after...” Kylo began, but Rey interrupted. “I wasn't going to, but...you are the only other Force user I know. I mean, not the only one. Your mother...” Rey frowned, letting her words trail off. She was so confused by her own feelings; on one hand she was so angry with him, but on the other she didn't want to stay away from him, couldn't stay away. Not just because she still believed she could turn him, but it was so much deeper than that. 

Ben's voice broke into her thoughts. “She is too busy isn't she? She,” he sniffed, almost snorted, with a slight shake of his head. “She is always too busy. The galaxy always came first.” 

Rey could feel the hurt and abandonment coming off Ben in waves. She could see the sad little boy lost in a sea of darkness and confusion looking for help only to find there was none to be given. 

“I'm going to build a lightsaber,” she said bluntly in order to push her confusing feelings aside and focus on the reason she had told herself she wanted to talk to Ben. It was difficult; and it didn't help matters that she could feel Ben's own tumultuous feelings as well. 

“Ah...” Ben nodded. He stood up while he spoke. Rey was momentarily distracted by him. He was so tall, she could remember the feel of fighting along side him, how right it had felt to be by his side. That desire to be next to him tugged at her, a deep ache in her soul that told her she belonged at his side. Rey ignored it and focused on Ben's words, though she wondered if Ben felt it too. 

“That is a very good idea. Next time we meet...” Ben said softly. 

Rey quickly broke into his statement. She didn't want to think about the next time they met...they would not be fighting side by side, but against each other. She frowned forcing the pit of despair at that thought away. She knew she didn't want to fight him, not like that. 

Rey frowned when she spoke. “I don't know how to build one. You're mother said she would help me, but...” 

Ben nodded, his brown eyes staring back at her across the distance between them, but Rey felt as if she could reach out and touch him. The urge to reach up and drag the tips of her fingers along his scar, the scar she had given him, was almost too strong. Ben felt it, she could tell by the shift in his stance, the way his eyes bore into hers. She noticed the slight movement of his hand reaching for her, but in the next instant he dropped his hand back to his side when he spoke. “I think I understand. My mother is not a Jedi and...she has the Resistance to organize against me, stopping to help you build a lightsaber is not likely to happen.” 

“It's not like that Ben...” Rey began to say, but he interrupted her. “Yes, it is like that Rey. The galaxy comes first for her—it always has and it always will.” He turned away, his back to her, but she heard his words clearly. “I will help you, if you like.” 

Rey smiled. “You would?” 

He turned back around to face her. It was purely Ben who spoke, no trace of Kylo in his tone. 

“Yes, I will help you.” Ben gave her a soft shy smile that went straight to her heart. “Where are you going to look for a crystal?” 

Rey started to speak, then stopped. She frowned then whispered. “No, I'm not telling you.” 

Ben nodded. “Understandable. Will you stay in touch?” 

There was a slight edge of desperation in his voice when he spoke. 

Rey smiled softly. “Yes...yes I will Ben.” 

* 

A few days later the Millennium Falcon arrived at Recopia. 

Recopia was a small planet located between the Corellian Run and Hydian Way, home to humans, Duros, and Bothans, known for its sulfuric oceans covered by poisonous clouds and not much else. It had once been the home to the Seyugi Dervish, a group of Force-senstive assassins, now extinct. There was also an old abandoned New Republic navy base located on the planet which was now the home of an old Duros named Etro who had turned the base into a ship outfitters business with a few less than legal things on the side. He was an old friend of Han's who was the only one to extend the Resistance a helping hand after the events at Crait. 

The Falcon docked in a large ships hangar protected from the planet's outside weather which was currently in the middle of a high wind storm. Leia stepped down the platform, with Rey, Finn and Poe behind her, smiling when she saw Etro. Inside the large hangar, several smaller ships were in various stages of refits and alterations. The sounds of drills, lasers and other mechanical sounds filled the large open space. An old Duros, dressed like a farmer rather than a mechanic in a pair of simple pants, dark brown boots and a sleeveless beige tunic, his orange eyes bright as he walked over to them with his arms out. “Leia!! It's been forever!” 

Leia, now dressed in her long dark blue dress and dark coat, laughed wrapping her arms around the taller Duros with a genuine smile. “Etro! You're looking good. Staying in one place suits you.” 

Etro laughed. “Not being chased over half the galaxy with Han helps. I heard what happened,” he said, his tone somber. “I'm so sorry Leia.” 

Leia's smile faltered. “I have more bad news. Luke has passed on.” 

“Luke Skywalker? Gone?” Etro gasped in shocked, his eyes widening. 

Leia nodded her head. “I will explain everything, but I can't thank you enough for taking us all in.” 

Etro smiled. “That's what friends are for Leia. Besides, I helped during the Rebellion, of course I'll help with the Resistance! Come, come, let me introduce you to my wife and show you where your people will be staying..” 

“Wife? When did that happen?” Leia asked as the two walked ahead of the others. 

Etro grinned. “Well a few years ago. She's my best mechanic! Had to get her to stay somehow!” 

* 

Soon they were all sitting in a large, yet cozy room. The walls were a light, soothing grey with a thick darker grey carpet and white furniture with shelves on the walls containing various knicknacks. The room's layout and decorations were meant to be soothing; the colors, the arrangement of the furniture, it was a home, which Rey realized she had never seen until now. A real home of two people, not a ship, not a base, now a hideout, but someone's home. Her home had been so isolated, but this, there were two people happy in each others company, happy in their lives. She had to admit, she was a little jealous. She glanced sideways at Finn. He glanced at her, their gazes met. They both felt the same way, neither having ever been in anyone's home before...it was nice. 

While she took her seat, Rey's eyes wondered around looking at everything. Etro had displays of serveral model ships from all over the galaxy on one wall. Rey wanted to get a closer look, but right now their small group was sitting on a long white couch, Leia in one of the large, oversized white chairs and across from them was Etro and his wife, a small human woman named Malia, her short brown hair cut in a boyish cut, her green eyes warm and welcoming. 

Malia had brought out trays of food, all of it strange and exotic to Rey in colors she wasn't aware that food even came in. Along with the food, Malia had served each of them ice cold drinks that were the most vivid shade of blue Rey had ever seen, and the liquid had a rich fruity flavor. 

Etro yawned, his wife was sitting on his lap, her arm around his shoulders. She kept gazing at her husband when he spoke, her eyes light with clear love for him. Again Rey felt a twinge of jealously. 

Etro nodded as he spoke to Leia. “You are welcome to stay with us as long as you like. We have the space, don't we Malia?” 

Malia nodded. “Of course, of course. I can also set you up with communications equipment. You should be able to call out to all corners of the galaxy with it, and under encryption. This can be your new base for the Resistance!” 

Leia smiled. “You are both so kind. I appreciate the assistance.” 

Etro grinned. “That's what old friends are for. So...” He motioned at the three young people sitting on the couch. “This your new command team?” 

Leia smiled. “This is Rey, an aspiring Jedi.” (Rey noticed the way Etro twitched at the word Jedi, though Malia who was a great deal younger than her husband, blinked in surprise.) “This is Finn, formerly with the First Order and now part of our team and lastly the best pilot in the Resistance, Poe Dameron.” 

Etro grinned at Poe. “A pilot you say? Mmm... I might have something, a new fighter ship I'm working on for you to examine later my friend. Been wanting the eyes of a good pilot on it.” 

Poe smiled. “I would love to my friend.” 

Etro turned back to Leia. “So, tell me what we can do to help the Resistance get back on its feet.” 

* 

Rey stayed on a few more days on Recopia, helping the Resistance become settled. She didn't contact Ben during that time and if he tried to connect with her, she never felt it, but all too soon it was time for her to go. 

Finn and Leia stood at the ramp of the Falcon. Finn hugged Rey tightly. “Promise me you'll come back.” 

Rey smiled as she returned the hug. “I will Finn, I swear I'll come back.” 

He smiled and stepped back. He was torn between wanting to come with her still and needing to get back to Rose. Etro had access to a surprising amount of medical supplies and equipment. Rose was currently being watched over by one of the Resistance doctors, her prospects for a full recovery good now that they had the room and supplies they needed to help her. 

Leia stepped forward pulling Rey into her arms. 

“Be careful Rey,” she said softly. “I don't know how much more loss I can take,” she whispered to her when she hugged her. 

Rey hugged her back hard, the mother she wished she had had, the mother of the man she felt so much conflict over. Rey spoke softly. “I will come back.” 

Leia grinned. “I know you will Rey. May the Force be with you.” 

Rey closed her eyes hugging her once more as she whispered. “May the Force be with you too.”


	2. A World of Ice

Kylo Ren stood on the bridge of Hux's ship The Finalizer, his hands behind his back as he looked out into the vastness of space. He had been standing there for a good solid minute without moving, just staring out without saying a word. He had to work not to smirk; he could feel the bridge crew behind him squirming in their seats. But that wasn't who he was messing with. It was Hux. Secretly Ren was nursing the thought of renaming the ship now that he had pretty much taken it over, just to be annoying to the pompous First Order officer. That would really get under Hux's skin which was the only reason why he was considering it, otherwise he didn't really care one way or the other. He didn't particularly like the ship either, but it was Hux's command ship and now, essentially it was his. Renaming it would just be a way to needle Hux. Kylo had mentioned it in passing just to watch Hux struggle to school his expression. Watching Hux struggle to control his facial expression had made the little nudge worth it. Silly perhaps, but satisfying. Kylo kept the grin that tugged at his lips down and went back to pretending to listen to Hux's slightly whining voice as he gave a report on the disappearance of the Resistance and how they had lost track of the Falcon. Hux was going on and on about manpower and ship repairs, all things that Hux, as a general, should simply be taking care of instead of whining to him about it. 

Basically, nothing. Hux was giving a report on nothing, Kylo thought with a sigh. 

Kylo found that he wasn't clear on how he felt about any of it, regardless. When he had seen Luke Skywalker he had been so sure...his rage had guided him, he wanted to destroy everything, all of it, all the things that Luke held dear, he wanted to burn them to the ground. But...there was a part of him that was pleased that the Resistance had survived, that his mother survived...that she, and Rey, were out there somewhere...he had told Luke he would destroy her...but he knew he hadn't meant it, any of it. He had just wanted to hurt his uncle, to hurt him the way his uncle had hurt him. That was part of what made him so...blinded with rage. Oh, his uncle ran off to hide because he had failed him, but his uncle never considered what that failure had done to him, to Ben. It had all been about Luke...as if Ben was completely gone, corrupted beyond redemption and all Luke could do would be to go and lick his wounds and mediate on his failure. Perhaps that hurt the worst. His uncle, his parents...none of them had come after him. At least that was what Snoke had told him, that they had abandoned him. He had spent years of his life knowing they didn't want him... 

Yet he was filled with doubt. Anger? He wasn't really sure. He wanted Rey back. He didn't want that door closed, though he didn't want to force her back to him. He knew that wouldn't work, that an action like that would push her even further away from him. But there was part of him that wanted to do that, wanted to force her. Kylo shook the thought away. He could never force her...ever. He cared too much for her...the choice had to be hers to make. If she stood with him, he wanted it to be because she chose it. He had so many choices taken from him...being forced to live and train with his uncle, forced...Kylo stopped, the image of his father came to his mind. Instead of pursuing that train of thought further he shook those thoughts away and focused elsewhere. He needed to kill the past, needed to destroy everything that had brought him here and start anew...with her. That was what he truly wanted. 

Kylo caught the side of his lip in his teeth... 

His uncle...he had felt the moment when his uncle had died, becoming one with the Force. He thought he would feel...vindicated, relieved, something other than a dark cloud of despair that lingered over him. His uncle's words came to haunt him. “Strike me down in anger and I'll always be with you. Just like your father...” The words twisted like a knife in his chest. He had hated and had feared his uncle all this time...waking to find him over him with his saber lit...the depth of betrayal Kylo had felt...and now he was gone. Instead of feeling relief, he only felt more conflicted, more pain and he hated it. 

Hux cleared his throat finally drawing Ren's attention back to him. “Lord Ren? What do you want us to do?” 

Ren turned on Hux so quickly that the shorter man took a step back. Ren's eyes flashed with rage, but he managed to keep his voice even, barely. “Continue on the course you have...I want a search done of all known sympathizers of the Resistance...I want them found.” 

Kylo turned with a snap of his cape and started to walk off the bridge. Hux frowned watching him go, his eyes narrowed slightly. He couldn't believe that...child was in charge. If it wasn't for the Force he would... 

For a brief second the thought of pulling his blaster out and shooting Ren in the back came to him, but just as swiftly he fought down the idea. Hux was many things, but a fool who took stupid risks was not one of them. He would have his time, he was sure of it. Ren was powerful, maybe even more powerful than Snoke, but he lacked Snoke's conviction to the cause. He would leave Hux an opening; he just had to be patient and take it when it came. 

* 

As he walked swiftly away, Kylo felt it, that spike of fear and loathing from Hux. He knew what Hux wanted to do... Hux wanted to destroy him, but the man was a coward and Ren didn't fear him. He had hated Hux before, but now he barely registered Hux, except as a necessary irritant. Ren ignored the man and left the bridge for his quarters aboard Hux's ship. He needed to meditate, needed to think of what he would do next, he needed to find away to banish all the fear that he held, the pain, the vast emptiness of being abandoned...by everyone. Left to wrestle with the opposing sides of the Force until he thought he would break from the constant onslaught. 

* 

The doors slid open nearly silently as Ren stepped into his room. His room was sparse. There was little here except the bunk, and Vader's helmet that had somehow survived the universe's latest attempts to destroy it. Ren stopped at the pedestal where the melted and distorted helmet lay. He placed his fingers on it. He could almost feel the moment his grandfather switched from the dark side to the light, the moment Uncle Luke had saved his soul. Ren had never been able to decide if that made him weak or not. Snoke didn't know about it, didn't feel it like Ren did. His fingers tightened on the helmet, trembling. He let go and quickly stepped away. He had spent years under Snoke trying to be like his grandfather, but he wondered if maybe Snoke had all of it wrong. What if being like his grandfather meant something else entirely? 

Ren removed his cape, dropping it across the bunk and sat down on the edge. He laid down on his back, folding his hands over his chest and stared up at the ceiling. The lights in his room were dim, creating an almost twilight effect. He steadied his breathing, letting the rhythm of his breath moving in and out calm him before he let his eyes fall shut. 

He found himself on the surface of a planet at dusk, the sun just beginning to set. The surface was desert...no...that wasn't correct ,he realized. It wasn't a desert, or it hadn't started out that way, what he was seeing was the result of a conflict. The planet's surface had been stripped of all vegetation leaving only the harsh wind that blew sand and dirt around, harsh, cutting sand that could rip a person to shreds. The destruction had left only the bones of the planet behind, the rocks, dirt...and the temples. Where he stood he could see the broken remains of temples, tall obelisks with the faded remains of carvings on their sand blasted surfaces, the remains of tall statutes, the faces worn away over the years, the forms barely recognizable, the blasted remains of walkways, the plain stone now leading to the destroyed husks of buildings. The pyramid-like shapes were crumpled and blasted by who knew what...he sensed that there had been battles here, wars had raged on the surface of this planet, centuries of conflict. But Ren also felt the dark side here. The air was thick with it, a heaviness that seeped into his pores. If he focused, he could almost hear the voices of the long dead howling on the wind around him making demands that their voices be heard...the dark side was like a malignant tumor over this entire world. 

The dark side was so strong here that he felt it dragging on him as he tried to move, tried to take a step forward. The voices continued to whisper promises of power, strength...He threw them off, pushing them back so he could focus... 

Ren's attention was drawn to the crumpled entrance of a building, the opening broken and shattered. It was clear it had been built into the side of a vast mountain, while now the entrance was only a yawning scar across the mountain's face. 

As he watched the entrance, feeling the pull of something there, he finally saw a figure emerge. His attention stayed on the shadow forming in the darkness of the entrance until it finally stepped out into the light and Ben felt his breath snatched from him. 

It was Rey, but not the Rey he knew, not the Rey he was falling for, but a perversion of her. She wore all black, pieces of armor covered her shoulders, but her arms were bare expect for the black fingerless gloves that reached to her elbows. The outfit was a combination of leather, armor and cloth, strapped around her form like a second skin. She wore boots that came up to her knees with pieces of black armor over her knees. Her brown hair was worn loose, framing her face, strands being grabbed by the wind as she stepped further out from the entrance. The dim orange light shone on her, a face Ben didn't recognize. She bore a scar across her face, not too dissimilar from the one he bore. There were lines of rage around her eyes, hate along her mouth, the smile forever gone. Her eyes flashed and for a moment he could have sworn he saw a spark of red in her irises, caught by the setting sun of the strange planet. 

She emerged slowly onto the planet's surface, looking around slowly and narrowing her eyes until her head snapped to the side. 

Ben saw figures coming at her. He didn't know who they were, or why he hadn't seen them before; he only knew that they were important to her, or at least had been important to the Rey he knew. A dark-skinned young man...no...he knew him...FN-2187...Finn...he had seen him in Rey's mind. With him was another young woman. He didn't know her and as far as Rey was concerned, she didn't know her either. They were racing together toward Rey, shouting something. It was clear they were there to help her. Rey turned toward them and she lit her lightsaber. Ben's eyes widened...the light was red, red with an orange center that reminded him of the heart of a flame. As Finn and the other woman approached, Rey moved swiftly, cutting them down without an ounce of feeling, slicing through the two people, ending their lives and—he could tell—she felt nothing. He could feel nothing from her but rage...hatred...the dark side. 

She turned to face him and smiled. 

* 

Ren sat up gasping for breath. “Rey!” 

He called out her name to the darkened room, his body covered in a fine sweat. He sat there panting, struggling to catch his breath, he could almost feel the fine cuts in his cheeks from the dust and sand that had been blowing around him. He ran his gloved fingers through his hair. 

She was in danger...He felt his insides twist at what he had seen, Rey...the light in his darkness corrupted...he couldn't let it happen, he couldn't let her turn, not her. Without thinking on it further, Ren got to his feet, grabbed his cape and hurried out of the room heading to the docking bay where his TIE Silencer waited for him. He wasn't sure how he would find her, hoping that maybe somehow, through their connection he might be able to trace her, but he had to do something to stop that vision...he had to save her. He didn't bother to tell Hux. Instead Ren, on his way to the hangar bay, passed by one of the many faceless work staff who occupied the bridge. She was on her way to who knew where, a young woman with short brown hair and huge eyes. Ren vaguely remembered that her name was Pooja. 

Ren signaled her to stop. She had been trying to hurry past him, her head down, not making eye-contact. Pooja winced when Ren called to her. “You, stop.” 

Pooja turned slowly trying to keep her expression neutral. “Yes, Master Ren?” 

Ren wasn't looking at her when he spoke, his attention elsewhere. “Tell Hux I'm leaving. I have something important I must take care of now. He is to remain on course. I will contact him when I am ready.” With that Ren swept by her. Pooja looked after him, her eyes wide. She grimaced. She did not want to be the one to tell General Hux that Kylo Ren had left. Maybe if she just slipped it in with another report he wouldn't notice who it was from... 

Pooja groaned inwardly. Why her? 

* 

Rey smiled as the Falcon zipped through hyperspace. They were heading toward the planet Hoth, their first stop in a search for a crystal for her own saber. She felt good, maybe even a little excited. She was actually taking her first steps toward becoming a Jedi...or at least something like a Jedi. Her life had a direction that was more than simply surviving day to day, and waiting. That was the other thing that made her smile—not waiting, actually doing something! She had spent her whole life waiting, waiting for her parents, waiting for her life to begin, but now she was doing something, making something happen. She still wasn't sure what all of it meant, what her place in all of this was...(though part of her poked at her, telling her she knew where her place was...at Ben's side...but she shook those thoughts away). She felt good to be doing something that might mean something bigger...she just wished she had Ben at her side, that she had been able to bring him back...for General Organa...for Luke...for himself and for her. 

Rey shook herself, letting those feelings go. She needed to focus on here and now, which was finding a crystal on a planet that Leia and Chewbacca claimed was covered in ice...and cold. She grinned. She was actually looking forward to it, though Chewie seemed less than happy. Even his little porg friend couldn't seem to muster a smile or a roar of annoyance out of the wookie. He had mentioned something happening to Luke while they were on Hoth, but didn't go into any further details. He seemed melancholy about this planet Hoth. 

As she made her way down to one of the bunks (Chewie having motioned her away to sleep while he flew the ship, the still unnamed porg on his shoulder), she walked past R2 who had come with her at the last minute. The little droid had stated in a series of bleeps and whistles that Princess Leia had insisted he come as well, when she realized how odd it felt to have the ship empty of people. 

She found her bunk and settled in for a nap, closing her eyes. She rested her hands on her chest willing herself to relax, taking a few deep breaths letting them out slowly, feeling the tension that she hadn't realized was there, ease from her muscles. Her mind seemed to float...her thoughts ease... 

She told herself that she wasn't reaching out for him, that it was an accident, but she knew she was lying to herself... 

She saw him, his eyes determined, but there was also fear in them. She could feel it, sharp, dangerous fear, but not like she had seen from him before...this was different. He was fearful for someone. For her? She frowned. Why did he fear for her? 

She saw that he was on a ship...a smaller vessel...he was the pilot. She picked up from him the ship was a TIE fighter of some sort. She frowned, reaching closer when suddenly Ben twisted around to look at her, his eyes seemed to cut through the distance. He opened his mouth to say something, but that was the moment the com on the Falcon went off followed by Chewbacca's grunts and growls, followed by the porg's rather loud squawk. The connection to Ben was shattered. 

Rey gasped sitting up in bed, covered in perspiration, her heart hammering inside her chest. She took several deep breaths calming herself. What was he doing? Where was he going? He wasn't with the rest of the fleet...what did that mean? She had so many questions, but she didn't have time to think on them too long before she was heading to the cockpit. 

* 

Rey watched in astonishment as the Falcon glided through the atmosphere of Hoth. The sky was a clear crystal blue, but other than that the only color was white, as far as the eye could see. Rey smiled and leaned forward as Chewie flew the ship in, heading in the general direction of the old Rebel base. Her eyes were round with amazement. There was just so much white! 

Leia had told her a little about Echo Base before they had left, the constant problems with wampa's sneaking onto the base at night, the always constant system failures that prevented them from being able to heat the whole base at once, but there might also be come valuable equipment still there...so if she happened across anything she could return with along with a crystal for a light saber, Leia said anything she found could help the Resistance. 

They were flying low, hoping to avoid detection, coming in under any radar. The fact that no ships had come out to attack them, no other form of defense had shown itself and that no one had tried to make connection with them, made Rey hope that maybe the base was abandoned after all. It would be a good base camp for their exploration of Hoth, a warm, safe place from which to explore the planet, as along as it wasn't occupied by something or someone else. 

Plus their options here were limited. There weren't a lot of places on Hoth one could land and just set up camp. According to Chewbacca and R2, the environment was harsh, the cold punishing on both living beings and machines. Someone could freeze to death in a matter of minutes. They really needed that base to be abandoned. They were nearing the base and still hadn't detected anything, no ships, no people, but Chewbacca still wanted to play it safe. A few moments later Chewie saw something on his radar that made him start to turn the ship. Rey frowned. “What is it?” 

Chewie growled and grumbled, motioning toward the console, swatting with no real malice at the porg who made a purring chirp and hopped down. Rey had just sat down in her chair to glance over at the reading. “What's that?” 

Chewie rumbled again in response. Rey frowned, but there was a little bit of awe in her voice. 

“An ice cave...a whole cave made of ice?” Her eyes were round in astonishment. “I've never seen ice. I mean I've heard of it, but I've never actually...seen it. And a whole cave?” Rey just couldn't stop smiling again. No one had ice on Jakku. She remembered travelers talking about it, these tiny blocks of cold. She hadn't really believed them, thought they were just tales. 

Rey smiled at Chewie. “Solid water...cold to the touch...real ice.” She grinned brightly her voice full of wonder. “And a whole cave...” 

Chewie muttered something else reaching out to run a paw over the porg's head. 

Rey laughed. 

“Right, I won't stick my tongue to it I promise.” 

* 

Back on Recopia, Finn was sitting next to Rose, watching her. She floated weightless in the tank, looking small and frail. Etro had an old bacta tank that he had retro-fitted with some newer technology that made it work in half the time, but the whole thing still made Finn uncomfortable...watching her float there with a breathing mask on...helpless to do anything but sit here and wait. 

It wasn't the most pleasant way to heal, but it was the best the duros had and Finn could see that it was actually helping her. He put his hand against the glass of the tank watching her face. She hadn't opened her eyes, not once since the fight on Crait, but General Organa had assured him, she would recover, that Rose was a fighter. Finn leaned his head on the tank. He hated this: he had finally dedicated himself to the cause and now the two people he cared most about in the universe were beyond his help. He could do nothing for Rey, she was on a journey that he couldn't accompany her, couldn't help her and now Rose. He could do nothing but watch and wait. 

“Come on Rose. I need your help.” Finn's voice broke a little. 

He leaned against the glass with his eyes closed when he felt a hand come down on his shoulder. “Hey, how about you help me with something, get your mind off things.” Finn turned around to see Poe standing there smiling, BB-8 was next to him looking up at Finn. (Finn always found it strange how the droid seemed to have facial expressions when he didn't even have a face!). “Etro has an old B-wing he had refitted with some interesting features. Thought you might wanna come take a ride in it with me. It's built for a pilot and a gunner.” Poe waggled his eyebrows at Finn. “Be like old times.” 

“Old times? Are you serious?” Finn asked, but he was smiling. 

Poe shrugged. “Come on. It'll keep you busy while you wait on her.” He motioned toward Rose. 

Finn sighed. “Sure, why not?” 

* 

Chewie found the cave he was looking for in a white mountainside. To Rey it looked like a dark slash across the side, like a mouth in the mountain, yet barely big enough for the Falcon. She trusted Chewie though. He eased the ship in with little effort, only catching the right side a little, breaking off a large hunk of ice and snow, but not enough to cause the Falcon any real damage—or the cave entrance to collapse on them. 

Once they were inside, he brought the ship down for a light landing. 

Rey had gone to scrounge around in the back where Chewie thought there might be some old clothes packed away in some containers that no one had bothered with, the boxes just being shifted around the Falcon instead of being disposed of at any point over the years. 

Rey found the crates stuffed inside the escape pod of all places. She pulled them out and started to go through them, looking for clothing to wear against the cold. She pulled out a heavy brown jacket with a fur-lined hood, a quilted head piece that would go over her hair and ears, a thick white scarf, some thick grey gloves that would be too big on her (but would have to do), thermal, quilted pants, (also too big) and a set of goggles. Rey held each item up. They were old, smelled a bit musty, but still in good condition. With some wrappings and a bit of ingenuity, she could make everything work. 

* 

A hour later Rey stood at the hatch of the ship, dressed for the cold. She still couldn't help the grin that danced across her face. Chewie grumbled next to her, clearly not happy. Rey turned to R2, the porg sitting on his dome. 

“You got the ship under control?” 

R2 hooted and whistled at her. The porg responded with a shrill squeak. 

Rey chuckled. “I'll contact you as soon as we've checked out the old base.” 

R2 responded with a bleep. 

Rey turned and together with Chewbacca they made their way down the ramp and out into the cold, the wookie only grumbling slightly. 

* 

By the time they had hiked through the freezing wind and snow to the entrance of the base, Rey had pretty much gotten over her initial infatuation with the snow and ice. It was just another form of desert except cold where Jakku was hot. 

When they arrived at the entrance, Chewbacca stopped. He made a soft whine. Rey turned to look at him, the goggles obscuring her vision slightly, but she nodded pulling out her blaster. This was the entrance to the Echo Base ice hangar, though this close she could see that over the years snow and ice had piled up covering a lot of the entrance. She chewed her bottom lip, her eyes wandering over the entrance thinking to herself it was a good thing they didn't come all the way over here they wouldn't have been able to get in anyway. Most of the opening was blocked. There was a section to the left that looked like it might have been dug clear enough for someone to crawl inside...and judging by how clear it was, someone had to have just recently used it... 

Together she and Chewbacca stepped over to the dug out entrance. Judging by the marks in the snow and ice it had just been re-dug out recently. Chewbacca bent over and let out a low whine howl, he was just too big to get through the opening. They might be able to expand it, but not with just their hands. 

“I'll go in and check it out,” Rey said as she started to bend over and crab walk through the opening. 

Chewbacca made a sound, but Rey sighed turning to look over her shoulder at him. 

“I'm the only one who can get through. I'll be quick—just a quick look and I'll come right back out. Don't be such a baby.” 

Chewbacca groaned and sighed...humans, he thought. 

* 

The inside of the base was dark and vast, the sound of some falling clumps of snow that preceeded her climb through the hole echoed throughtout the empty hangar. Rey stood up slowly looking around. It was only partially warmer in here and that was only because no wind blew through here. She thought she could see a light in the distance, near the back of the hangar which only accentuated how big the place was and how empty. While she couldn't see everywhere, the place looked like it was clear of snow and ice. She started to step forward when a voice came out of the darkness. 

“I wouldn't move if I was you little lady.”


	3. Luke Warm Receptions

Rey put her hands up slowly. She still couldn't see anything in the darkened cavern, but she could hear movement. She remained still waiting, until finally a figure came into view. It was a human male, a hand width under two meters tall, with a scraggly beard, long hair pulled back in a tail and dressed in old patched pants, leather boots and a heavy brown coat that looked to have had white furs added to it. He wore fingerless gloves and held a blaster leveled at her head. 

As he approached, Rey saw several other people who seemed to form out of the shadows. 

The man frowned, looking her up and down. “Who are you? What do you want? And why do you look like you're dressed from a few decades back?” 

Rey lifted her brows at him. “Which question do you want answered first?” 

The man smirked at her. “A smart aleck. Fine. What's your name?” 

“Rey. What's yours?” Rey inquired, keeping her cool. The man pressed his lips together slightly annoyed, but admiring her spunk. “Solan, I'm the head of this here group of pirates little girl.” 

“Pirates. So the general was right.” She said it as an aside, but also purposely loud to see how they reacted. 

“General, what general?” Solan narrowed his eyes. 

“General Leia Organa,” Rey answered looking around as the people with Solan stepped closer. They looked like pirates, but she was surprised when she saw a few children among the group. 

“General Organa, the hero of the rebellion...she's leading the Resistance too ain't she?” Solan asked. Rey thought she detected an edge of hope to his voice. 

“Yes. She said this used to be an old Rebellion base, but that she thought it might be under the control of pirates now.” Rey looked around. 

Solan grunted. “It was under the control of the Blacklip pirates for a time. Came in and stripped the place of anything of real value. We call ourselves the Solan Brotherhood, came in a few years ago set this up as home, but...well...we're leaving. If the Resistance wants it back, they can have it.” 

“Leaving? Why?” Rey asked with genuine interest. 

Solan stared at her for a moment and started to lower his weapon when everyone heard a loud roar outside. Solan yanked his weapon up. 

“What the kriff was that?” Solan yanked his blaster toward the opening, his eyes perfectly round. Rey brought her hands up. “No, no, stop it's all right! That's my friend, my co-pilot, Chewbacca! He's a wookie!” 

Solan gasped. “Chewbacca? The wookie...you mean THE wookie, the one that flew with Solo?” 

Rey smiled broadly. “That's the one.” 

* 

Soon Chewbacca and Rey were deep inside the old Hoth base. The pirates had dug a fire pit in what used to be the control center of the station. The area was huge, clearly gutted of anything important years ago. There were bits and pieces of debris throughout the area, but nothing of value. The pirates had made beds and individual family units in this area using the scrap left behind. They had created a large living space with cots, make-shift shelters and a central fire pit. On the way deeper inside Rey had caught a glimpse of their ship. She had seen similar ships on Jakku growing up. It was a refitted Wayfarer class medium transport. 

Rey held her hands out to the fire. The heat brought back some of the feeling to her numb, stiff fingers. Rey glanced over to Chewie, a slight smile on her face. Chewbacca sat beside her surrounded by the pirate children all of them looking up at Chewbacca with something close to hero worship. 

Solan grinned over at the children, then spoke to Rey. “Solo stories are some of their favorites. Seeing him is like seeing a fairy story come to life.” He used a piece of long metal to poke the fire and rotate the animal carcasses that he had on a spit over the fire. Solan had called them Ice Scrabblers. They looked a little like skittermice to Rey. 

Solan finished and sat back. “So, what's a tiny thing like you doing running around with a Rebellion legend and coming down to visit a rock of ice like this?” 

Rey pressed her lips together. She thought briefly of making up a story about why she was here, but then quickly dismissed it. She felt no hostility from them, no duality; they were just a group of pirates, but a family group at that. Rey felt that the truth might serve her better here. 

“I'm here to look for a crystal,” Rey said simply. “To build a lightsaber.” 

Solan snorted. “What? Don't tell me you're one of those fanatic Jedi worshipers? The ones that go around to all the old supposed Jedi sites seeking knowledge or to connect to the Force.” Solan wiggled his fingers in the air. “They are always running around trying to make their own lightsabers and other nonsense. No offense,” he added quickly. “I mean, to each his own.” 

Rey frowned in puzzlement. “There are people that do that?” 

Solan nodded and shrugged. “Every once in a while someone shows up here, wanting to pray or some sithspawn shows up here wanting to visit one of the sites where Luke Skywalker walked or some such nonsense. Usually what happens is: they show up and if we don't accidentally blow them into sithspit, they more often than not wander off and probably freeze to death or become wampa chow. Then we get their ships,” he added with a wink. 

Rey gave him a withering look and Solan laughed. “Don't worry missy, we give them a good long waiting period. If they don't come back in that decent span of time, we get their ships.” 

“You don't go looking for them?” Rey asked, stunned. 

Solan shrugged. “Why? Risk my people to look for a bunch of Jedi worshiping idiots? Not likely.” 

Rey frowned, then said more quietly. “I'm not some...Jedi worshiper. I'm...different and I do want a crystal to make my own lightsaber.” 

Solan stared hard at her. “All right then girl, prove it. Do something them old Jedi could supposedly do.” 

The children, having overheard the conversation turned to look at Rey expectantly. Some of the other pirates walked over, all wearing amused expressions. Rey pressed her lips together in annoyance. 

Fine, she thought to herself. They needed proof—she would give them proof. 

Rey closed her eyes and put her hands out in front of her. There were a lot of different thing she could have lifted, but she decided to go with the one that would have the most impact. She lifted Solan. 

Solan frowned at the girl. She was pointing her hand at him, fingers spread. He watched her, thinking that they had another loon on their hands when he felt a weird tickle, like a vibration against his skin, then the next thing he knew he was being lifted off his seat. 

“Kriffing Sculag!!!” Solan screeched as Rey held him up, maneuvering him over the fire pit. The pirates' reactions were a combination of pulling weapons, gasping, with one or two falling to their knees. The children on the other hand squealed and clapped their hands. 

Rey opened her eyes and smiled. “Believe me now?” 

“Yes, yes!!! Just put me the kriff down!!” Solan begged. Rey grinned. It was a little fun, she had to admit, as she slowly lowered the older man back to his seat. He was panting holding a hand to his chest. The children swarmed Rey, their little voices mixing into a chorus of. “Do you know Luke Skywalker? Are you really a Jedi? What else can you do? Is it magic?” 

Rey laughed softly. “It's not magic, no I'm not a Jedi and yes, I've met Luke Skywalker.” 

This was greeted by a chorus of: “Oooo!!” 

Solan frowned studying her. “So you're the real deal, eh?” 

Rey shrugged. “I'm learning, but for part of that, I need to build myself a lightsaber.” 

Solan looked at the fire then asked softly. “So Luke Skywalker, he still alive?” 

Rey dropped her gaze staring into the fire. “No,” without further elaboration. 

“So—you it?” Solan asked. 

Rey shrugged. “I have no idea.” 

He was quiet for a little bit, then said softly. “I'll make you a deal, little girl. We've been wanting to leave this rock for a while, set off to warmer pastures. Hoth's been good to us, but the wampas are getting more and more aggressive, breaking into camp and we've all decided we're tired of the cold. But we have a problem: our ship needs a new coolant pump regulator. With the cold and all...well it was harder on our ship than we realized. So our two mechanics, husband and wife team, Gunn and Abia Sonax, went looking for the part we need, thinking they could rebuild it. Gunn was convinced he saw some downed old Imperial ships out in the snow, thought it worth a look, but that was three days ago and neither of them have returned. A storm prevented us from looking for them the first day and yesterday a pack of wampas nearby made travel pretty much impossible. You help me find my people...I know a cave where you can find your crystal.” Solan glanced up at her meaningfully. 

Rey frowned and shared a look with Chewbacca. The big wookie made a series of grunts and growls. Rey frowned further. “This might be my best shot Chewie.” 

The wookie snarled and whined. “How bad can a wampa be?” 

Solan chuckled. “Your friend has a right to be scared. Wampa's are dangerous and they're everywhere on Hoth, and that is just one of the creatures that live on this block of ice.” 

Chewie made a long sigh and Rey smiled. “Thank you Chewie. All right Solan, you have a deal.” 

* 

Kylo had set the ship to auto-pilot, then settled back thinking he would try to catch a quick nap. He was more exhausted than he would like to admit. The last few weeks had been...He sighed and leaned back in his seat. There wasn't a lot of room to be comfortable, but he had grown accustomed to discomfort. He had set a course to Ilum, the planet where he had found the crystal for his saber when he had become a knight of Ren. That seemed so long ago, but at the same time, he could remember it as if it had happened only recently. Kylo took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It wasn't much of a lead, but it was a place to at least start, he thought—until he was given another clue. He could only hope Rey would connect with him again, maybe she would simply tell him or she would slip up and give him a clue to where she was going. But for now he was in hyperspace with a long way to go. He might as well rest. 

He settled back as comfortable as possible in the small space and closed his eyes focusing on his breathing, the slow in and out. He frowned within moments, having difficulty settling his thoughts. He could see her, the fire in her eyes when they fought. Kylo reached up tracing his fingers down the scar on his face. His frown turned into a scowl, thinking of the moment she stood there before him, when he laid himself bare, asking for her, telling her that she meant...meant so much to him. Someone who understood, someone who could face the darkness with him. And the subsequent pain when she didn't join him. Kylo snarled in frustration at his weakness. He let out a breath, shifting his position and tried again. 

Breath in, breath out. Slow, steady breaths... 

For a moment he remembered being a child, sitting cross-legged while Luke would speak softly to him. “Just breathe. Breathe Ben. Now don't hold it, let yourself breathe.” His uncle would come and sit beside him crossing his legs with a smile. “Just breathe Ben. Now, tell me...What do you see?” 

Ben had whispered back, his eyes closed, his focus on something beyond himself. He had felt connected in that moment, connected to everything. He spoke softly in his child voice, filled with awe. “Light, darkness. A balance.” 

“Oh, it's so much bigger. Feel the Force. Feel it all around you. It's in every living thing, there is darkness and there is light. A continuing fight for balance....” Luke smiled reaching out to lay a hand against young Ben's face. 

“Uncle, there is so much darkness. It's calling to me...” Ben had whispered, his voice trembled with a combination of fear and awe. 

“I wish I could have been better,” his uncle said softly. 

Kylo's eyes flew open to find himself standing on remains of the school his Uncle Luke had made, a place where Kylo had never belonged. He turned around and found himself in his bedroom on his mother's ship. Young Ben hiding as his parents argued. 

* 

The night he heard his parents talking...he remembered that night so clearly, hiding behind the door listening as they argued back and forth. His father's angry voice. “He has too much Vader in him Leia!” 

“Han! It's not like that, it's not so black and white!” His mother raised her voice so rarely that when she did, it frightened Ben. 

“What are we going to do if he turns out just like him?” Han muttered, a tremble of fear and doubt in his tone. 

“We love him Han. If we love him hard enough...” Leia's voice was filled with anguish. 

* 

“We all loved you Ben,” Luke said softly. Kylo turned, though he didn't see his uncle at first. 

Kylo's gaze dropped to his clenched fist as he struggled to hold the pain inside. “You never loved me. None of you did. My parents couldn't wait to be rid of me. They were both scared of me and you...you were scared enough of me that you wanted to kill me.” Kylo's voice broke. He held so much pain that he never allowed himself to express, but right now it was a struggle for him not to let the pain that he kept with him—usually locked away—leak through. “None of you wanted me. I was a monster. I am a monster.” Kylo snarled the last few words. “I only became what you all feared and were sure I would be...a monster. That should make you happy. You were all right about me.” 

Luke's voice was sad. “No Ben, we do love you. And you were never a monster. We...we just didn't know what to do. We love you, but we were also fallible, letting the wrongs of the past color our view of the future. I failed you in so many ways Ben. I let me fear guide my choices. I'm sorry.” 

Kylo, who had been looking down at his clenched fist, looked up to see the blue shimmer that was his uncle. 

Their eyes met and Luke smiled. “Hey kiddo.” 

Kylo shouted. “What do you want?! Leave me be! Haven't you ruined enough of my life! I can't even be rid of you in death!” 

Luke smiled. “I'm here to help you the way I never did in life. Help you—and to help her.” 

Kylo turned his back on Luke hissing, “Go away. I don't need your help. I never needed your help and I don't want it now.” 

Luke snorted. “Damn Ben, you sound like Han.” 

Kylo snarled in anger. “Don't compare me to him. I'm nothing like him.” 

Luke chuckled. “Oh, you are more like him than you want to admit.” 

Luke walked around until he was standing in front of Kylo again. “Let me help you.” 

“Why? Why should I!?” Kylo snarled. “Your idea of helping me was to try to kill me!” 

Luke sighed. “I...I can't say I'm sorry Ben and that make it all better between us. I know that. But I want to help you find Rey. What I did...I should have let you and her...” Luke shook his head. “I want to help you now.” 

“What if I don't trust you?” Kylo said, but there was a hint of something in his voice, a pain that said he wanted to trust his uncle, he wanted his help and guidance. 

“You don't have to trust me, but let me guide you,” Luke explained softly. “Rey needs you.” 

“Why don't you appear to her?” Kylo asked, but Luke smiled. He had his attention. “I can't.” 

“Wh...” Kylo started, but Luke held up his hand. “Look, it's just easier to come to you because we are related and my warning her won't help. She needs you.” 

Kylo frowned and said simply, “Tell me what to do.” 

“Well kiddo, you first need to go to Hoth.” Luke smiled with a crook of one eyebrow. 

* 

The pirates gave Rey and Chewie a small place to bed for the night that looked to be built from the remains of an old T-47 airspeeder that was tilted on its side and gutted. At least according to Chewbacca, that was what the craft was called; she had no idea, all Rey knew was that it provided shelter, a small amount of warmth and a medium amount of privacy. Plus there were two makeshift beds—what more could anyone ask for? She had lived her life with less than this on some days so to her this was almost luxurious. Neither of the cots were big enough for the wookie, so he decided to sleep on the floor next to Rey (though he had said he was going to be on watch...he still didn't trust these pirates) after they had contacted R2, in secret, to let the droid know they were all right and wouldn't be coming back to the ship tonight. Rey was reluctant to tell the pirates the exact location of their ship...just in case, though Solan didn't press her about it. He hadn't seem offended, which Rey found to be a good sign. Rey took one of the cots and laid down pulling the blanket up to her chin. She smiled at the irony of her situation for a moment. She had gone from one desert to another, just that she thought if she had to choose one, she might choose this...it seemed a lot easier to get warmer than cooler. 

Almost as soon as her eyes closed, instead of sleep, Rey's mind raced away from her without effort or direction, immediately colliding with Ben. It was as if their connection was only growing stronger, which both scared her and fascinated her. The pull was so strong, and what was worse was that she didn't seem able or willing to fight it. She found that she longed to see him, to hear his voice...maybe it was that longing which was pulling her toward him, someone who understood...someone who—despite everything that had happened—wanted her. Rey felt a spike of pain in her chest. He wanted her like no one ever had, even now...Finn cared for her as did Leia, but then didn't NEED her like Ben did...like she needed him. His words still echoed in her mind, “You come from nothing. You're nothing. But not to me.” Those words were so powerful...that was all she had ever wanted, to mean something to someone, to mean something at all. Then there was Ben, so much wanted from him, so much expected from him. There was no way he could have lived up to their expectations, to the galaxy's expectations of him. He was just as alone as her, but in a far different way. Her loneliness called to his... 

She could still feel that night they spoke, when she told him about the cave...her vision...his gentle understanding, his soft reassurances. He had made her feel wanted and accepted like no one had before...not Luke, not Leia, not Finn. 

She could feel her emotions starting to boil over, so Rey calmed herself letting her mind settle as she gazed at Ben. 

She took her time to take in his surroundings and saw he was on a ship...a small one-person ship. He was lying back with his eyes closed, his face not quite relaxed with sleep. She frowned, his brow looked troubled. Rey couldn't figure out where he was. Traveling in hyperspace, but how far away was he? She could only sense he was alone, away from the others and her heart sped up. Maybe that meant he had left the Order? 

She reached out, the tips of her fingers brushed his cheek, her thumb stoking gently under his eye. She leaned toward him and spoke his name softly. “Ben...I'm still here for you.” 

He didn't open his eyes, but he spoke her name. “Rey...” 

She began to respond when suddenly someone called her name. “Rey. Hey Rey! Wake up! Time to go!” 

Rey gasped as she was yanked back. She felt as if she was slammed back into her body as she sat up coming awake with a gasp. Her heart pounding, her breath coming in bursts of cold condensation that formed small white clouds. She looked around frantically. Chewie made soft sounds of concern. 

Solan was standing by her cot holding a bowl of something hot; she could see the lazy steam of heat coming off the food and the scent made her stomach rumble. 

He smiled. “Sorry girl, time to go. You're gonna want eat this and eat it fast.” 

* 

After eating quickly Rey was given a fur and leather lined jacket to wear under her coat. Solan grinned. “It's made of wampa and icetromper, smells like sithspit, but it'll help keep you warm. We're going to be crossing the plain out there, heading toward the remains of the battle field—that's where Gunn and Abia were headed. There's a storm whipping itself up out there too. It's gonna be cold, nipple freezing cold. You should take one of these too.” Solan pulled out a long, wicked looking blade with a curved edge, the handle wrapped in layers of leather. He turned it and the firelight glinted off the white blade before he handed it to her.. 

Sloan grinned at her. “Made it myself out of a Hoth whale tusk. That stuff is hard as any metal and the blade is sharp, so be careful not to touch the blade. Blasters sometimes freeze out here, so you're gonna want to have something to rely on in case we stumble across some wampas, ice cats or a snow bear And sometimes we run into other people—not often, but enough that being prepared is smart. Last thing you want is your blaster to freeze up and have nothing else to fight with girl.” 

Rey examined the blade, turning it one way then the other. The blade was pure white like the snow outside, with a serrated edge. Deadly, but beautiful. 

“Thank you. Why are you being so nice?” Rey asked with just a slight edge of suspicion in her voice. 

Solan snorted. “Look, you're helping us and you're a kriffing witch or something. I figure it this way, better to have you on my side than not. And...” His voice dropped just a little. “You remind me of someone I once knew...so...anyway. Let me introduce you to the other two members of our search party.” 

Solan walked over to a small section away from the bigger camp where a tiny fire burned brightly, surrounded by bits of scrap metal. There were two people by the fire in deep conversation. Solan put his fingers between his lips and whistled. A young Twi'lek woman with soft lavender colored skin glanced up. She had huge clear green eyes. She was dressed for the trip ahead wearing a dark brown coat, fur protecting her neck and her lekku where both wrapped in fur and leather, while a pair of goggles sat on her forehead. Next to her, his hand resting on her lower back, was a human male with dark auburn hair and a rather boyish face. He was also dressed for the cold; the two of them strolled over to Solan. 

The man smiled at Rey, but directed his attention to Solan. “We about ready?” 

Solan nodded. “I just wanted you two to meet our Jedi in person.” 

“Rey, this ugly son-of-a-stoopa is Tax, our sensor calibrations chief and his lovely companion is Aerena, my second helmsman.” 

Tax grinned. “That was pretty impressive last night. I didn't realize Jedi were so pretty either.” He gave her an over the top wink. 

Aerena smacked Tax hard in the shoulder with the back of her hand sending him stumbling a few steps. “Shut up Tax, before you embarrass yourself.” 

The young man shrugged. “Hey you never...” 

Aerena smacked him again this time on the back of the head. “Shut up.” 

Tax rolled his eyes and grinned. “You're jealous. You're so cute when you're jealous!” 

Aerena started to say something else with a growl in her voice, grabbing Tax by the front of his coat. Rey watched the exchange with an amused expression. 

Solan groaned loudly stopping all conversation with a shouted. “Aerena, you should just charge up that boy's loading ramp and get it over with.” 

Aerena turned on Solan with narrowed eyes making the older man chuckle. He motioned with his hands at her. 

“All right you two—that's enough with the flirty banter. We're going out looking for Gunn and Abia, so make sure you're both armed.” Solan indicated Rey with his thumb. “Rey here has offered to help us find them. In exchange I'll be taking her to that cave we found.” 

Both Tax and Aerena paled slightly. 

Aerena opened her mouth her voice just a whisper. “The crystal one?” 

Solan nodded. Aerena frowned looking at Rey. “You sure you want to go to that one? That place is...” She hesitated, searching for the correct word and settled for, “Wrong.” 

Tax snorted. “Don't let Aerena scare you, she's superstitious.” 

“Tax! Shut your hole you Schutta.” 

Solan sighed. “Children, if you're done, come on. There's a storm brewing and I'd like to try and be across the field before it hits.” 

* 

Rey pulled her goggles down, glancing up at Chewie who was doing the same. Solan stopped at the entrance to the old base. “We are heading north. Gunn and Abia were heading over toward the old battle field. There is a sithspit of debris littered all along that old ice flow. There are remains everywhere buried in the snow, so they could have stopped anywhere along the way. They headed out on foot thinking they would be back in a matter of hours. So, that's the direction we're heading. They've been gone for three days. Pay attention, look for clues. It's snowed since then, so I'm not sure there is much to see, but...” He shrugged. Rey frowned. The man was a pirate, but it was clear from his expression that even though they needed their mechanics, he still cared about them too. This wasn't just a mission to retrieve valuable members of their crew, it was a mission to retrieve people he also cared about. 

Their small group headed out from the base entrance. The day was clear, not a cloud in the sky. Rey glanced up at what she would call a beautiful blue sky, a shade of blue she never saw on Jakku, so bright...it seemed to go on forever. Solan moved to walk beside her, noticing her gaze. He glanced up then said softly. “Don't let that blue sky fool you. Hoth can turn on you in a heartbeat. Storms come in fast, sometimes with little warning. The only reason I know there is one brewing is from making a mistake one too many times. Cost me a few good people.” 

Rey frowned. “I'm sorry.” 

Solan shrugged. “You live and learn.” 

It wasn't long before Rey began to realize that they were walking in a graveyard. As their small group continued she began to see hints of shapes under the snow and occasionally she would see a sharp corner or a the head of some vehicle sticking out of the snow and ice. The further they walked, the more evidence of vehicles, blasters, and the occasionally hint of a body showed through the snow. It was a little like the battlefield remains on Jakku except Rey only ever found a body once. It had been buried deep in the remains of a star destroyer...the body was dried, bones with leathery skin still clinging to it, mummified by the dry air and heat. It had scared her when she had pulled a panel aside and the grinning face of a dead man had been waiting for her behind it, but it was nothing like this...the hints of the dead she would see were preserved here, a hand sticking out of the snow looked like it might actually move, the skin discolored, but the nails were still preserved, and the skin still looked like skin. It was unsettling. 

When they walked pass another body, the head of a young woman stuck out of the snow, her eyes open toward the sky. The light, cold breeze moved strands of dark hair, and her lips slightly parted like she was taking a breath. Rey had to turn away...the eyes still looked out sightlessly onto the snowy landscape. Chewie had made a few sounds of comfort, putting his big hand on her shoulder. 

Aerena glanced back at them. “You see a lot of that here,” he explained. “The dead. The snow and ice preserves them. It's sad, no one ever came back for them. I don't think you ever get used to it.” 

Rey shuddered. “No one should die alone.” 

Aerena shrugged. “No, but a lot of us do.” 

They walked on and the remains of an Imperial walker came into view. Solan stopped, narrowed his eyes behind his goggles as something caught his eye on the ground. He called out. “Tax, come here!” 

Tax jogged over to Solan just as the older man dropped into a crouch digging something out of the snow. The rest of them caught up as Solan handed what looked to be a large backpack of some sort to Tax. “That look like Gunn's?” 

Tax took the backpack turning it over with a frown. “It looks like his...but...” Tax went quiet. He frowned then handed the bag to Aerena. She examined it, a furrow appearing between her brows. “Those are claw marks,” she said softly, noting the rips in the pack. 

She handed the bag to Rey. The marks were deep having ripped through the thick material of the backpack. Whatever it had contained was gone now. Rey looked at the others as she handed the bag to Chewie. 

“What could have made marks like that?” she asked. 

Solan snorted. “There are a lot of things that could have done it.” 

Rey started to walk around, kicking idly at some clumps of snow, looking for clues, but everything was just so white. She turned to ask Solan if there were any caves or anything nearby that could act as shelter to the lost mechnics or creatures, though she supposed they would have checked them already...when she heard a sound. 

At first the sound reminded her of a woman screaming, but in a low deep sort of voice, an airy sound, forced through the lungs. The sound settled in her bones, sending ripples of fear up her spine. Everyone else stood up slowly, their eyes darting everywhere trying to determine the source of the sound. The sound changed then turned from the strange huffing screams to deep, breathy grunts that ended with a deep, in-the-chest growl which slowly formed into a high pitched howl that made Rey shiver in discomfort. But the worst part was when the howl was answered by another howl just a little distance away. That one was answered by another one, and yet another until it felt as if they were surrounded by eerie echoing calls. 

The sound grew more menacing and louder, seeming to edge closer and multiply. 

Chewie moved to stand closer to Rey as he pulled his big bowcaster from his back, checking the charge. 

Solan hissed. “Does anyone see anything?” 

Tax hissed in return. “Nothing, but they sound like they've gotten closer.” 

Rey whispered, “I have a bad feeling about this.” 

They all heard a huffing, then a slow menacing growl followed by a ragged snarl, followed by a chuffing sound. 

That was when something on six legs, which Rey thought might be half the size of a luggabeast, emerged from the snow standing in front of their little group. The creature was covered in white fur, and it had startling blue eyes. When it chuffed at them, great puffs of frozen air rose from its mouth which Rey could see contained rows and rows of sharp teeth, making Rey wonder briefly how it shut its mouth at all 

Solan hissed. “Don't look it in the eye.” 

Rey made a soft gasp. “Uh, what if I already did?” 

Solan muttered. “Sithspit.” 

That was when the creature let out a roar like nothing Rey had ever heard before. The sound, a cacophany of cries and roars, settled in the pit of Rey's stomach sending ice through her veins. The monster's mouth was open wide to display all of its white sharp teeth just as it lunged. 

* 

Somewhere in hyperspace, Kylo gasped sitting up fast enough that he hit his head against the top of the cockpit shield with a shout. 

“REY!”


	4. Reaching Out

Rey yanked her blaster out swiftly, so quickly that she wasn't even aware that she had pulled the weapon until she fired. At the same time Chewie fired a blast from his bowcaster; both shots struck the creature. The wookie's plasma laced bolt embedded itself in the creature's shoulder, while Rey's blast burned a line along it's flat triangular head. But those blasts weren't enough to stop the monster's charge. Rey yelped in surprise as the creature came straight for her and Chewbacca. She threw herself to the side just as Chewbacca did the same, but the creature was surprisingly fast, slamming into both of them and sending them flying in two different directions. Rey hit a pile of snow, the breath knocked out of her from the impact. She rolled onto her back, searching around blindly at her side for her blaster, but the monster hadn't stopped. It had simply kept going racing toward Aerena. 

Rey heard Aerena let out a cry, firing her own blaster at the creature and rolling in a somersault before coming to her feet again near the leg of the downed AT-AT. The twi'lik scrambled up the leg of the downed mechanical beast as quickly as she could. She arrived at the top after her scramble, twisting around, her weapon aimed at the creature. She fired off a couple of quick shots, one burning into the snow beside the monster, the other shot catching it in the side. If the shot affected the creature at all, it gave no indication as it turned around and roared. The creature launched itself forward, ignoring Aerena and charged toward Rey. 

Rey sat up, shaking snow from her face with a gasp at the sudden cold crashing across her cheeks; some of the snow slipped down the neck of her suit and her goggles were askew from the sudden fall making it difficult to see. She rolled to her feet, patted the snow for her blaster, found the weapon (thanking the Force that she hadn't lost it in the snow.) She spun around on the balls of her feet coming up to a standing position, her weapon aimed at the monster. The creature raced across the ice and snow, its clawed feet digging into the ground giving it ease of movement and it was moving fast Rey thought. The creature roared, charging right for her, displaying rows of wickedly curved sharp teeth and a mouth that seemed too wide for the size of its head. 

Rey heard the sound of a blaster followed by Solan's voice shouting. “You KRIFFING SITHSPAWN!” followed by more sounds of blaster fire. Rey saw a blur of white from the corner of her eye which she assumed must be another one of these animals except much smaller than the one in front of her. She saw Tax scramble behind the creature and rush toward the leg of the AT-AT. He had run over to where Aerena was still on top of the AT-AT, another one of the large six-legged creatures having leapt up onto the structure and was slowly prowling toward her. She had fired several shots at it to seemingly no effect. 

Aerena yelled a curse pulling the trigger on her blaster, but nothing more happened. 

“SCHUTTA!” she screamed throwing her blaster down. 

Tax yelled. “I'm coming Aerena!! I'm coming!” 

Rey fired at the monster, her shot blasting it in the forehead. The monster shook the blast off, though Rey could see that she had burned a hole into the flesh and fur. For a moment she wished she had Luke's lightsaber... 

* 

Kylo grabbed his controls, taking a few calming breaths as he dropped out of hyperspace. Whatever was happening with Rey, he had to trust her to be able to defend herself. He hadn't been exactly sure what it was that he had seen...some sort of creature, a vicious beast...and there are been at least three. Even without a lightsaber, Rey could fight. She could defend herself, but the urge to rush to her side was strong. He quickly, but carefully put in his new coordinates, the coordinates for Hoth. Part of him was still in shock that his uncle had given him Rey's location. He thought about the possibility that his uncle was leading him astray, trying to throw him off Rey's trail instead of helping him...but he really didn't believe that. Maybe despite everything, part of him still trusted his uncle. Whatever the reason, Kylo put the coordinates for Hoth into the astrogation computer, and when he had a green light, he punched the lever for hyperspace. 

* 

Rey fired her blaster. Two shots blurred across the space between her and the creature, burning along its fur and filling the icy air with a foul stench, but her blaster fire didn't stop the creature's progress at all as the beast came charging at her again, its small dark eyes focused only on her. She tried to get out of the way, scrambling to the left, but between the snow, ice and how quickly the animal could move, she just couldn't get completely out of its way. Rey threw herself and rolled, but the monster barreled into her knocking the young woman onto her back. 

She landed hard, staring up at the too blue sky as she felt the air burst from her lungs, expelling in an icy cloud of white, the pain in her lungs immediate. Rey winced at the bright sunlight; her goggles had come off completely, leaving her temporarily blinded and her blaster had been knocked from her hand again. She heard the sound of Chewbacca yelling followed by the sound of his bowcaster, but her head was ringing, her ears muffled, and she felt confused; Rey had enough sense to realize she must have hit her head. Any sounds she heard seemed to come from a great distance away. 

She was just about to try to push herself up when the creature loomed over her. Rey gasped painfully and threw her hands up. Her hands immediately sank into the monsters thick white fur, becoming lost in the stiff, rough and wiry hair of the beast. She could feel the growl in its chest, like the engine of an ancient ship. Her fingers and palms suffered dozens of tiny cuts from the creatures stiff fur. She looked up just as the animal opened its mouth, saliva dripping from its lips to land on her face as it reared back its head on its short neck, ready to snap down. From the size of its mouth, she knew it would take off her head with one bite, just like a nightwatcher worm suddenly popping up out of the sand and swallowing someone whole Rey thought for a moment. She might have found the random thought funny if not for her situation. 

Rey pushed back with all her strength not willing to die easily. She gasped feeling the sudden infusion of the Force as it jumped to her call without realizing she had done anything at all. The Force pushed out from her, emanating from the palms of her hands. The wave of telekinetic energy slammed into the creature's chest with enough of an impact that Rey not only knocked it off of her, but she sent the huge creature flying backwards and through the air at least eight meters or more. The monster arced upwards and then slammed into the ground in an explosion of snow. The monster continued to slide through the snow coming to a stop only when its body slammed into the remains of a T-47 Airspeeder sticking up out of the snow. 

It wobbled to its clawed feet looking dazed. It didn't move for a couple of seconds. The creature just stood there, its head hanging down, clearly Rey had just knocked it senseless as if had done her. The other animals in its group had stopped their attack, all of their attention on their leader. The creature took a step, wobbling on its six legs then looked up. It saw Rey and let out a strange sort of whine, then a series as sharp barks. In the next moment, all of them followed their leaders into the snow to disappear. Rey sat in the snow watching the large animals' retreat to disappear, blending into the landscape as if they had never been there. Solan let out a loud. “WHOOP!!! Damn girl!!” The older man came over, limping slightly, but he was grinning ear to ear. “That was the most amazing Shab! I have ever SEEN!! I mean, I've heard stories of the Jedi, but...” Solan laughed with a bob of his head. 

He reached down holding his hand out to Rey. She took it letting him tug her to her feet just as Tax and Aerena came jogging over after clambering down from the AT-AT's leg. 

Aerena gasped. “That was amazing!! You just threw it!” 

Rey smiled blushing. She was squinting against the white of the snow just as Chewie came up behind her and shoved her goggles down on her head. Rey laughed reaching up to pull them down. “Thanks Chewie.” 

He grunted and let out a low growl that she took to mean she was welcome. 

Solan looked back the way the creatures had gone. “Well, not sure how long they'll be scared off, so we should keep going...we at least know Gunn and Abia came this way.” His voice lost its enthusiasm, his expression dropping to a frown. “Let's...let's hope those things didn't find them.” 

Rey dusted herself off. “What were they?” 

Solan grunted. “No idea. Never read anything about them in any record, though I'm going to guess they came out of whatever hole they live in after the battle here all those years ago. Lots of carrion to feed on...and even after all this time, they are probably still finding bodies to feed on. Let's just hope they didn't find any fresh meat.” 

Aerena put her hand on Solan's shoulder. “We're going to find them.” 

The older man nodded then smiled. “All right boys and girls. Let's keep going.” 

* 

Solan took them along the ice flow, their small group trudging along slowly. The day had remained clear until the last hour. The wind began to pick up and large flakes of snow had begun to fall, quickly coming down heavier as their group walked. 

Solan hung back to speak with Rey and Chewbacca. “We're heading up to the North Ridge. There are some caves up that way, another AT-AT, couple of speeders and the remains of a couple of probots. It's a good place for them to go to look for parts, but with the caves it's also a good place to hunker down against the storms or another animals.” 

Rey nodded glancing at Chewie who made a low whine. Rey frowned. “What is it?” 

Chewbacca whined again. Rey frowned softly. Solan glanced at the wookie then her. “What is it?” 

“He says we're coming into wampa territory or at least it used to be when he was here with Han.” Rey's voice softened to a whisper as she thought of Han Solo. She had only known him for a short time, but he had a bigger than life personality and he had shown her compassion; something she had seen precious little of on Jakku. 

Solan grunted in response. “We've all heard the stories about Han Solo saving Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker's life.” 

Rey smiled. “Really?” 

Solan laughed. “I think we all like to tell Han Solo stories because it makes us old pirates feel like there is a chance for us all to be redeemed a little...but not too much.” 

He winked at her from behind his goggles. “No one wants to be too good, you know?” 

Rey chuckled as the aging man continued. “But it gives all us old pirates and smugglers a feeling that we ain't completely lost. If a man like Han Solo can save a Jedi, save the galaxy and get the princess, then there is a little hope for all of us.” 

Rey wanted to say that yes...that all was true, but Han had also lost the princess (though he never lost her love), lost his son, and died because of it, but she said nothing. It was better to let the galaxy have their stories about their heroes than the truth sometimes. 

* 

Back on Recopia, General Organa was lying on her bed, letting herself relax and hoping sleep would come. Her mind was full of turmoil, her old lover gone, now her brother. Was her son also really lost to her? She just couldn't believe it was true. She had felt something with Rey that led her along a thread to Ben. She couldn't be sure what it was, it could simply be her wishful thinking. She could see so much of Ben in Rey, but where Ben was plagued with self-doubt, a legacy to live up to and a history that threatened him at all times from the very moment of his birth, Rey had none of that. She had been allowed to grow into the person she was...not tethered to a history or a family that colored every aspect of her life. In many ways, Ben never stood a chance. Leis squeezed her eyes shut. It angered her...they had all been so blind to what they were doing to him...to her sweet sensitive son...and look what had happened. Yes, there was fault on Ben's side, but Leia couldn't help but feel that the fault lay completely with her. And not just because she was his mother, but because she, of all of them, should have been able to be there for her son...for her little boy who was still in so much pain. She spent her whole life saving a galaxy, but the one person who needed her above all others, she had let down. 

Leia tried to put all these thoughts aside and let herself relax. She wouldn't be any good to anyone if she didn't get some sleep, she thought to herself. She took a few deep breaths, letting her body relax, her mind drift. Her mind seemed to be floating, but she felt a tug. She couldn't be sure what it was...Rey? Luke? Ben? In all the years that Ben had been lost to her, even when she had tried to reach out to him, her son had been blocked from her. She couldn't be sure if Ben had been doing it, or perhaps Snoke? Or maybe both. She wasn't as strong as Luke, and had little training in utilizing her abilities, but she had tried to reach out through the Force to touch her son to no avail. But this feeling now...could it be her son? Leia's heart sped up...Ben?! 

She saw her boy in a small ship, alone. He was asleep, his eyes closed, his breathing slow and steady. She felt a jolt of pain in her chest at the sight of him. The scar on his face...even in sleep she could see the pain in his expression. She wanted to reach out to him, take him in her arms and hold her boy once more. She was overcome with the feeling of loss. She had sacrificed her son on the altar of her need to save everyone, her continued struggle against the remains of the Empire and then, the New Order. There was always something that took her away...that she had allowed to take her away. 

As Leia watched her son, she remembered holding him on her lap while she was working with some refugees from the Empire and some members of the council trying to help these people find a new place to settle. The meeting had gone over long when at one point Ben, no more than four, had burst into the conference room and run straight for his mother, with her best friend and personal aide, Winter in pursuit of the little dark haired boy. Ben had run up to his mother, his arms up, his face contorted with pain and Leia had scooped her son up. She had taken just a moment to settle him down. It was clear he had been crying about something, Leia had made him promise to sit quietly until after the meeting. She had glanced up at Winter, who had nodded and quietly left. 

The little boy had agreed, curling up in his mother's arms. He had been so small then, fitting easily in her arms. She had glanced down to see his big brown eyes watching her. She had continued on with the meeting, her little boy falling asleep in her arms. 

Later, when the meeting had finally ended, she had set Ben on his feet. “Why don't you go play with Winter sweetheart. I'm sure she's missing you.” 

Ben had frowned and in his tiny, but serious voice he had asked her. “Do you love everyone more than me?” 

Leia remembered being thrown by the question. She had answered that she loved him best of all, but even then she had seen that he hadn't believed her. 

Leia gazed at her son longingly, wanting to hold her boy, to bring him back. She could still feel it, even now...the good in him. She could feel the walls that had been around him for so long beginning to crumble. She couldn't be sure of the reasons; was it the death of Snoke at Ben's hands? Luke? Or was it Rey? 

Ben's eyes began to open when Leia felt a tug. She gasped, drawn away. “General Organa! I'm so sorry to wake you!” 

Leia sat up panting. Kaydel Connix stood near her bed. “I'm sorry ma'am, but you told me to get you as soon as Rose Tico was awake.” 

Leia nodded, age and the emotional strain of seeing her son making her move weakly and stiffly. 

Leia muttered. “Getting old is a bunch of Bantha poodoo, Kaydel.” 

Kaydel gasped in shock, then giggled as she helped the General out of her room. 

* 

The wind had picked up considerably and the snow was becoming thick enough that it had cut down on their visibility by more than half. Rey squinted into the distance. It was just like a sand storm on Jakku, and just like a sandstorm, she didn't want to be caught out here without some sort of shelter. She glanced at Solan who just kept walking. She had to admire the man. He was a pirate captain, but these people were his family and he was willing to get himself killed to get them back. For a moment she was hit by an intense surge of jealousy. No one had cared for her like that...cared enough to put themselves into danger except two people, Finn...and Ben. Rey swallowed, remembering Ben fighting with her...his killing Snoke. For her, to save her. Before she could become lost in the memory, Tax yelled to be heard over the wind. “Solan! We need to head back or we're gonna get lost in this storm!” 

Rey noticed the way Tax stayed protectively close to Aerena. 

Solan stopped and bent over to put his hands on his knees, cursing under his breath. “Fine...fine, you're right. We should...” He had looked up toward Tax and Aerena, but then stopped mid-sentence, staring into the distance. Rey followed his gaze...there not too far in the distance she could see a thin, weak line of smoke. Solan grinned. 

“Smoke...SMOKE!! That has to be them!! Come on!” 

He took off in the direction of the smoke, suddenly full of energy. Rey exchanged a look and shrug with Chewbacca, but then took off after Solan, the others close at his heels. 

* 

They had walked a half hour in the direction of the smoke, the way becoming more and more difficult as the wind and snow continued to pick up. Solan's limping—which had been mild after the animal attack—was now slowing them down considerably and becoming worse by the minute. He waved off any assistance from Rey or the others, but Rey could tell, even if they turned back now, Solan wasn't going to make it on foot. 

By the time they had arrived at the smoke's origin, the smoke was gone, covered in snow. Whoever had made the fire was nowhere to be seen. The wind had picked up, blowing strongly enough that it was a struggle to stay upright and the driving snow was making visibility impossible. 

Aerena kicked at the remains of the fire. “We just saw the smoke! They couldn't have gotten far! This kriffing snow!” 

Solan stood over the remains of the fire by her and growled. “Where are they?” 

Their group looked around for something, anything to give them an indication of who had started the fire when Rey saw it, a partial mark in the snow leading off to the west. It was barely visible, the increasing snow having covered most of the print, but she was sure of what she saw. Rey crouched down, the print reminded her a little of ones left behind by a pole-snake. She reached out not quite touching the print. “Solan? What's this?” 

Solan came over and crouched beside Rey frowning at the print which they were quickly losing in the wind when he smiled and stood up. “TAX, AERENA! This way!” They group headed in the direction that the print Rey found had indicated. The wind had picked up more, a particularly strong gust knocking Rey completely off her feet at one point. If not for Chewie, Rey was sure she would have been blown away. The others were struggling. Tax had grabbed onto Aerena and Solan was standing up against the wind due to his sheer stubbornness. 

Tax yelled to be heard. “We need shelter!!” 

Solan called back. “Look for a cave, or an old ship—anything!” 

Rey couldn't see anything but white. The snow was swiftly covering anything that had been partially uncovered just moments before and if there were caves about, she couldn't see far enough to tell. 

Then they all heard someone yell, a voice barely audible over the driving wind. “SOLAN?” 

Everyone turned toward the voice. Rey saw a shadow forming out of the snow moving in a strange swaying motion. She could see arms, though no legs were visible. It wasn't until the person was close enough that she saw realized this person didn't have legs at all, but rather the lower half of his body was a long, heavily muscled tail. As he came closer, she could see that he had scales over his body and a swooped back head, a sluissi. Rey had never actually seen one before except on a vid in the library of the computer that she had rebuilt inside her home back on Jakku in the belly of a fallen AT-AT. 

When Solan saw the sluissi, he yelled throwing his arms out. “GUNN!” 

The two men slammed into each other, the one named Gunn hugged Solan back tightly. “I'm so happy you found us! Shocked actually!” 

Solan patted Gunn on the back. “I wasn't going to leave you guys out here! Where's Abia?” 

Gunn frowned, his black eyes sad. “She ain't doing so well Solan.” 

Gunn looked around, a grin crossing his reptilian lips when he saw Tax and Aerena, then he frowned in confusion when he saw Rey and Chewbacca. Solan followed his gaze. “Gunn, this is Rey and Chewbacca. They landed here to look for crystals, but agreed to help us find you.” Solan leaned in close to Gunn and whispered loudly. “She's a Jedi.” 

Gunn frowned clearly having more questions, but instead he motioned with his head. “Come on, this storm is getting worse. We have a shelter nearby.” 

They followed the sluissi, who moved faster than any of them through the snow until they came to a cave. The cave entrance was partly blocked by the remains of some warship, older than anything Rey had ever seen before and not like any ship she was familiar with from experience or vids. The ship was so old that its entire body was nearly encased in thick layers of ice. Gunn ducked down next to it slipping into a space behind it. The rest followed. 

Inside was a cave of ice. Rey gasped. There was a fire going and the light from the fire danced off the walls of ice, being reflected back like a thousand tiny suns. The cave extended back quite a ways, but it fell into darkness when it extended beyond the reach of the fire. Lying near the fire was a devaronian woman. Her red skin seemed to adsorb the firelight, her dark green hair was damp with sweat and matted in places. Rey could see a makeshift splint had been put on the woman's leg. Even from where she stood, Rey could see that the woman was feverish, her red skin covered in a fine film of sweat which couldn't be from the small fire she lay beside. 

Gunn immediately rushed over to her where she lay on a fur (the edges of which still had a dried and bloody look) by the fire. He lifted her up gently placing her head against his lap. “Abia? I found help sweetheart.” 

The woman opened her eyes slowly, her eyes were a startling shade of purple. “Gunn? What?” 

The sluissi held his wife tenderly. “Help Abia, I found help.” 

Solan came over, along with Aerena and Tax to crouch next to Gunn and his wife. Rey and Chewie held back. 

“Hey Abia,” Solan said keeping a smile on his face, leaning his elbow on one knee, but it was clear he was worried. 

Abia smiled. “Hey captain.” Then her eyes slid closed and she collapsed. She was breathing, but it was ragged. Gunn swallowed. “She has had the fever for the last day. Solan...Solan I can't lose her. We both had medpacs with us, but I used up our supplies.” 

Solan nodded and stood up. “Aerena, you got that medpac?” 

She pulled her coat up and withdrew a small medpac from a belt pouch. She set it down and immediately opened in pulling out a few items. While Rey had only see a few medpacs on Jakku, she knew they had great value. She had found one or two in the wreckage of ships back home; they were always prizes, always worth several portions of food when one was lucky enough to find one. The more complete the medpac, the more portions you could get for them. The medpac that Aerena carried wasn't complete, however. Rey could see it was missing a few things like a bone stabilizer, kolto and flexclamps, but it did have some bacta patches, some stim shots and a few packages of pain reducers. 

Rey and Chewbacca watched as the small group of pirates worked together to do what they could for the devaronian. After a few minutes Solan stood up. “We need to get her back to the ship.” 

Gunn nodded. “I know, but...I don't know if she can make it, not with her in this condition...and the weather...” The sluissi looked pained as he gazed at his wife who now seemed to be sleeping instead of passed out. “I'm not leaving her Solan...not like this on this kriffing planet. I won't.” 

Solan put his hand on Gunn's shoulder. “I wouldn't ask you to Gunn.” 

The sluissi put his hand over his captain's. “Thank you.” 

Chewbacca had wandered off a small distance, toward the back of the cave. Rey followed him, feeling like an outsider watching such an intimate scene between people who cared for one another when she noticed that Chewie had found something. Rey briskly stepped over to his side. There were some large pieces of twisted metal back here, blackened from a possible explosion. Rey couldn't tell exactly what the parts were, but she had a good idea that they were from a starfighter carrier (her years of salvage had given her a keen eye for what was valuable from a wreck and a good knowledge of ships and vehicles). Chewie grunted, motioned back the way they had come, then back at these ship remains. Rey frowned listening carefully to him, then nodded turning back to Solan. “Chewie says he can make a sled—we can drag her back to the ship.” 

* 

Leia was dressed in her “working” clothes, a plain colors shirt, pants and vest, her hair braided and curled around her head in a style from Alderaan of her youth. When she arrived at the room where Rose Tico had been staying, she heard the sounds of voices, one of which she could tell belonged to Finn. He was speaking quickly and with excitement. Even though she couldn't see him, she knew his smile would be easy and his eyes would be dancing. The other voice was weak, but she heard the light sound of laughter in response to something Finn had said. That must be Rose, Leia thought. 

Leia reached up and knocked lightly before she slowly opened the door. 

Sitting at Rose's bedside was Finn. The young man was holding one of the young woman's hands tenderly between both of his much larger ones. Even a blind Bothan could have seen the way Finn felt about the young woman and the woman, Rose, was clearly deeply in love with him. 

Leia smiled. “I heard you were awake. How are you feeling dear?” Leia directed her attention to Rose. 

The young woman looked pale and thin, but the sparkle in her eyes said she was a fighter. 

“I...I'm doing well General Organa.” Rose felt a little surprise that the general had taken time to visit her. 

Leia grinned. “Just call me Leia.” 

* 

Their small group slept in shifts through the cold Hoth night. They had decided to try to start their way back at first light. When it was Rey's turn to stand watch, she sat with her back against Chewie's back as the wookie laid on his side sleeping. This warmth at her back and the fire at her front helped her stay warm. She was probably the most comfortable person there at the moment. 

Now that she was calm, alone, everything around her (minus the storm outside) was quiet. And she heard something. Rey frowned. It was light, an annoying little sound...she could hear it, but couldn't figure out there the sound was coming from. It was like having a skittermouse in the walls of her home that one time...she could hear it moving around, but she couldn't seem to find it. She heard something...in the Force. She couldn't tell where this...sound..like a small scratching...as if something was testing for a reaction... 

Rey said softly out loud and in the Force. “Hello?” 

For a few seconds nothing happened. Rey was beginning to think that her connection to the Force wasn't as strong as she was led to believe when the whisper of a voice answered back. 

“Hello.”


	5. The Voice

Rey's entire body jerked with surprise, raising her alertness. She hadn't really expected a reply; she wasn't even sure why she had spoke out loud in the first place. She sat up, brushing a loose lock of hair from her face as she looked around in the dark. The shadows cast by the firelight danced slowly around her, but she only saw the prone forms of her sleeping companions. Even Chewbacca hadn't moved. Rey frowned and stood up slowly to walk to the entrance and look outside. The snow was blowing hard creating a strange mournful howl outside that echoed a feeling of desolation. The snow mixed with the darkness of the night dropped visibility down to zero. There was no way anyone could be out there, she thought. She wasn't even sure why she had walked over to the entrance; she knew what she had heard hadn't been inside with her physically...but inside her head. 

“Where are you?” Her voice was a low whisper as her gaze wandered around the small space searching even though she knew she would find nothing. None of the sleepers stirred. Rey frowned and closed her eyes, this time focusing on the words. “Where are you? Who are you?” 

This time she received an answer accompanied by a shadowy image in her mind's eye. The figure that stood in front of her was a woman in shape, maybe human, but she couldn't determine anything definitively because the shadows obscured the woman's features and anything else that would identify her more firmly in Rey's mind. 

The voice which had been “plain” and undistinctive before now exhibited more of a feminine quality to it. 

“I am here child. I am like you, one with the Force, but unlike you I am a teacher...I can sense your need for a teacher. Perhaps the Force has brought us together my child.” 

“Who are you? What is your name? Why can I hear you, but I don't see anyone?” Rey asked softly. She could sense that whoever this was they were masking themselves from her just a little so that Rey couldn't pick up on anything other than their voice She reached out with her mind trying to find the source of the voice. It seemed close, yet strangely still far away from her. She frowned, reaching toward the voice, the figure, but whoever they were, they were good at covering themselves. “Why won't you let me see you?” Rey asked with only a slight snarl in her voice. 

“So full of distrust little Jedi. You have been hurt haven't you? Very recently, I can feel it.” The voice spoke softly. 

Rey frowned and didn't answer as the voice continued. “You are alone, I can feel that too. You seek your place...no family. Wait, no...I sense. A lover? No...” the voice held a smile. “A wanted lover...but you left him behind. Why?” 

Rey snarled, her teethed clenched. She hated that she still was so unskilled at blocking her mind. Her only excuse was that she had no idea who or what this was...she tried to throw up her blocks with a hiss. “Stay out of my head.” 

The voice chuckled softly. “Forgive me child. I've been so alone for so long..I did not mean to pry. You left yourself easily open, but I can help you with that...teach you.” The tone of the voice drifted into sadness as it continued to speak to her. “I lost my family...I had a daughter much like you who I was going to teach in the ways of the Force, but...she is gone now. Lost to me...I know she is with the Force, but her loss still haunts me.” 

Rey frowned, her brow knitting in sympathy. The owner of the voice sounded so lonely and sad and Rey could feel the ache of the loss behind the sorrow. Some part of Rey said to not to help this person...to refrain from seeking them out, but Rey couldn't turn her back on someone in need. Perhaps that willingness to help stemmed from her own need to fill that void that leaving Ben behind had created. She pressed her lips into a thin line as she mentally murmured. “Is there anything I can do to help you?” 

She could sense the smile in the voice. “Yes, perhaps child we can help each other. You seek to build a lightsaber correct?” 

Rey bit her bottom lip in frustration that she had so easily let herself be “read” by the voice, the person—whatever it was—but instead of denying it she simply nodded with an admission. “Yes.” 

“I will help you. Where I am there are the crystals that you are seeking. Come to me and I can help you. I will help you build the saber, but I can also help you learn more about your abilities, show you a place where you can go to become the Jedi you want to be.” 

Rey felt a tremor of excitement before she nodded. “All right.” 

* 

Kylo came out of sleep with a gasp, his head aching as well as his chest. He had been dreaming of Rey. She had been standing on a cliff's edge waiting for him, her hands out to him. He had come so close to her, the tips of his fingers reaching out, almost touching hers when something dark, something foul, yanked her away from him. For a moment he had been confused. This was a dream, a dream in which he was in control...but the darkness had turned to face him and shoved him off the cliff. That was what had woke him up, the falling, but there was something else. Just before he woke, that moment between wakefulness and the dream...when he had felt something in the Force...something malevolent and dark. It reminded him of the nightmares he had as a child...the dark side of the Force had sought him out even before he was old enough to understand what was happening. He had seen things...dark things, reaching for him...things that neither his mother nor his uncle had been able to chase away. 

Kylo shivered at the memory. This “thing” he had felt in the Force, it was close to Rey. That was the only reason he had felt it...and it had felt him, because even in his sleep he had been reaching out to Rey, unconsciously hoping to connect to her, if only briefly. But something was there around Rey, something that had sensed him before he had understood what was happening. 

When he had tried to get close to the source of darkness, in that brief moment between dreaming and wakefulness, when he was fully aware of what he was doing, it had repelled him, shoved him back in fear and loathing. It was almost like being hit with a Force push. He remembered from his days at the school with his Uncle, teaching him to focus his will, to focus the Force to repel something or someone...to try and do no harm, but at the same time to push the subject away from him. The interaction with the presence near Rey had been like that, but there had been a dark consciousness behind it, a malevolence. He knew that if he had been there physically, whatever it was would have tried to kill him. 

He didn't think it had actually “sensed” him, more that it was acting on instinct, but whatever it was, it would have been pleased to kill him. Kylo growled in frustration. Whatever it had been, it was too far away, too weak to have any real power to affect him, but that didn't mean it couldn't hurt Rey. And he had caught just a brief sense of its need—it needed Rey. He couldn't determine what it wanted with her...only that it did want her. Kylo felt a well of panic rise up in him. Rey was naive about the Force. She had only gotten the clean, shiny version from his uncle. Yes, he had told her about the Dark side and Rey had felt it there on the island, but she didn't really understand the Dark side...the way it fed on you, twisted, pulled, needed...it could come in so many forms, it could appear as your friend...someone, something that understood only to trap you in a prison from which you couldn't escape, twist your feelings until you had no idea where your true feelings began and the Dark side's need—its hunger—ended. She was out there alone, facing things she had no concept of. He...he should be with her...be at her side...teaching her...showing her...protecting her. The spike of fear exploded in his chest. 

He needed to protect Rey from the Dark...from becoming like him! 

Kylo snarled in frustration, in anger and in anguish. His feelings were a dark twisting ocean, crashing down on him yet being swept away before he understood what he was feeling. He had always felt lost, alone, helpless...but right now he felt worse than helpless. He felt impotent! It was like he was looking through a smoky glass; he could see the shapes of things, even feel them, but he could not affect them. Worse, he could not get to Rey in time to stop whatever was going to happen! 

Kylo snarled again and slammed his fist upward into the hatch of his ship, he hit it again and again feeding on the pain, letting it travel down his arm, focusing his rage and fear. He hit the hatch hard enough that a series of alarms sounded on his ship. 

Kylo roared in frustration, balling his hands into fists, slamming them down on the console which only caused the ship to warn him again that he was endangering his ship. Kylo screamed into the void of space....unleashing the twisted, confusing whole of his feelings vocally until he was out of breath. His rage subsided only to leave a hole for the fear to quickly fill; he needed to get to Rey before it was too late. 

* 

The morning sun on Hoth shone into their little space as the small group prepared to leave. Chewie had constructed a “sled”out of the bits and pieces he had found in order to transport Abia back to the main camp of the pirates. It didn't take long before they had Abia comfortably lying down, strapped to the makeshift sled and bundled up against the frigid air, as ready as they could make her for the trek back to the main camp. 

Rey stood off to the side, leaning against the cold wall, watching as Gunn made sure that Abia was comfortable. The two held hands and spoke softly to each other. Gunn would occasionally lean closer to kiss Abia; soft, sweet kisses of love and concern. The way the two of them gazed into each others eyes made Rey feel...lonely, but she also felt a spike of jealousy flare in her chest which she quickly squashed looking away from the couple. She had never had that...the concern of a loved one. Her entire life had been filled with loneliness...silence. Her mind drifted to Ben. For just a moment she could see his face perfectly in her mind's eye, his thick dark hair, soulful, tortured eyes...the scar...and the pulse of her connection to him. The one person in all the galaxy who wanted her...who saw her as something other than nothing...something other than a tool. Ben saw her for who she was and who she could be. Her heart ached; she unconsciously put a hand to her chest, blinking back tears that suddenly sprang to her eyes. He was the only one who understood her yet she had walked away from him. For a moment the loneliness and pain threatened to overwhelm her. 

She sighed, letting the image go... 

Rey pushed off the wall and headed outside. She hadn't heard anything from the “voice” she had spoken with last night since everyone woke up and they started to prepare to leave. She had just began to wonder if she had dreamed the whole thing when she heard a whisper in her mind. 

“Come to me.” 

Rey's brow furrowed, but she said nothing. 

* 

Soon their group was outside heading back to the main camp. The sky was blue, mostly clear, but on the horizon they could see dark clouds moving swiftly toward them. Gunn picked up the sled handles (insisting on being the one to pull his lover) and carefully dragged his injured lover along. Soon their small group began the trek back with Gunn and Abia in the middle and the rest of the group in a loose circle around them. 

Everyone was on high alert, trying to keep a look out for any threats. 

Rey walked along with the group, though she was distracted. The voice had said nothing to her after the request to come to them, but she felt a pull, a tug in her chest as if something was guiding her. Their group walked along chattering among themselves in low voices when Rey felt herself yanked around. It was a queer sensation, almost as if something had grabbed her by her arm and swung her around trying to get her attention. Rey looked in the direction she had been compelled to face, but all she saw was a white winter landscape. She stood still, looking for some deviation in the landscape, even removing her goggles. Chewbacca made a soft inquisitive sound. 

Rey turned to the wookie, slipping her goggles back into place. “I...I think there is a cave this way...a crystal cave.” Rey spoke softly and the urgent pull still strong in the middle of her chest trying to compel her forward. 

By now the other members of their group had stopped to look at the young woman strangely. Solan frowned, how she knew the cave was that way he could only guess...but the Jedi were a strange lot he thought. 

He motioned with his head before he spoke even though Rey wasn't looking directly at him. “The crystal cave is that way, you're correct, but I would suggest you wait, let me and a couple others take you instead of trying to head that way on your own. I mean, that was our deal wasn't it?” 

Rey pressed her lips together staring into the distance; the pull was strong.. turning from a request into a command. 

“I...I need to go now,” she whispered. 

The pirates all exchanged a shared look. Chewbacca made a sound of protest, but Rey shook her head. “I need to Chewbacca.” 

Solan sighed looking down at the snowy ground before he spoke. “All right, you go. I'll send someone back for you as soon as we get Abia back safely. Just...Rey, there are things out that way, yeah? Just...be careful.” 

Rey turned to smile at Solan and nodded. “I will.” 

Chewbacca protested and Rey said softly, “You should go with Solan.” 

No one, not even Rey, was able to decipher what Chewbacca said next, but it was pretty obvious to everyone present that the wookie was cursing. 

Rey chuckled. “All right then,” she relented. “Come on.” 

Rey gave Solan and the others a wave before she and Chewbacca set off. Solan shook his head. “Damn stubborn girl,” he muttered before he motioned to the others. “Come on, we need to get going while we have clear skies and daylight.” 

Tax frowned, watching Rey and Chewbacca go. “Solan, I don't feel good about this.” 

Solan sighed. “Neither do I Tax, but she ain't my responsibility—you lot are. I meant it, we get Abia back safely, I'll send a group out to her, but right now we gotta take care of our own. She helped us find Gunn and Abia...I'll send her some help...after we get back.” 

Tax nodded, shooting another look at Rey before he sighed and followed along with the rest of his group. 

* 

The landscape was simply an unending stretch of white. No trees, no rocks, no ships...just snow and no indication that anyone had ever been out this way. Rey crested a hill and stopped, looking out. There was little deviation in front of her, no indication of a cave, or of anything. Just snow. Chewbacca came up beside her and grunted. 

“I know. It's...it's just a feeling,” Rey said softly, wishing she could explain it better. “Besides, Solan did say this was the direction of the cave, so I guess we are going in the right direction.” 

Chewbacca grunted and growled softly and Rey chuckled. “Yeah...a Jedi thing I guess. We need to keep going this way.” She pointed down the hill toward a dip in the snow. 

They walked on for another hour. Distances didn't seem the same in the vast white landscape. Everything seemed both closer and farther at the same time; the snow, the white, stretching on forever making it difficult to judge distances. Rey had long ago stopped feeling the bite of the cold. She didn't really feel anything except the pull telling her she was going in the right direction. 

The sky began to darken as storm clouds started to move in, slowly gliding and skating across the sky turning everything grey and casting long shadows across the snow. They continued to walk in the white, and every direction was beginning to look the same, evoking feelings of a strange kinship with the landscape within Rey. There were places on Jakku where you could stand on a dune and look out and see nothing but sand...rolling waves of endless sand with no landscape markers, no evidence that anything lived out there....just sand for as far as the eye could see. 

Rey stopped for a moment to look around. There was just so much white, whether it was flat ground or ice and snow covered rocks jutting up (though even those blended in with the eternal white from even short distances.) She and Chewbacca seemed to have been walking for hours, yet she had found nothing...the pull had become simply a background noise to the constant walking in a never-ending landscape of white. 

Rey sighed and turned to Chewbacca. “Maybe we should start heading back? I'm just not...” 

Before she could complete her statement, the ground under her feet rumbled. It was faint, just barely a vibration that she registered in the soles of her boots, but it was there. Rey frowned looking down at her feet, then up at Chewbacca. “Did you feel that?” 

That was the moment the ground beneath Rey gave out. She screamed in surprise as she fell. 

Chewbacca dived for her, his fur-covered hand missing her by mere centimeters as she plunged into darkness. 

* 

Rey hit the ground hard enough that the air was knocked painfully from her lungs. She yelped in pain and rolled to her side, coughing while snow fell on top of her. She laid there for a few seconds waiting to see if anything else fell on top of her, like rocks, more snow or a wookie, but after a few seconds everything became still. She could hear Chewbacca yelling down from above. His cries echoed in the cavern as if he were far away yet everywhere. 

Rey sat up slowly with a grunt. She definitely had a few bruises, but nothing was broken or sprained. “Chewie? I'm all right!! I just fell into a cave!! Hold on!!” 

She heard the wookie say something to her, but she couldn't quite catch what it was since he seemed to be muttering. 

It was nearly pitch black down here, the only light coming from the hole she had fallen through and that was dim. She glanced up. The hole had been barely big enough for her to fall through, snow kept drifting down on her as large, soft flakes. Rey fumbled around on her belt until she felt the chemlight that was attached to the side and pulled it off her belt, giving it a quick snap to activate the chemicals inside and held the light up letting the yellow glow show her exactly where she had fallen. 

The dull yellow light showed Rey a cavern that made her gasp. 

The cavern was huge. She could see that it went on for what looked like kilometers because the crystals that dominated every surface caught her light and reflected it, going on and on for what seemed forever. The crystals were everywhere in a vast variety of colors and sizes. Some of the crystals were huge, the thickness and size of starships, while others were small enough to fit in the palm of her hand. Rey's mouth fell open as she turned in a circle. There were pillars of crystals criss-crossing everywhere she looked. She had never seen anything so beautiful or dangerous. Many of the crystals had clearly sharp edges. She was lucky she hadn't fallen on one and impaled herself. 

She did a full turn and stopped, her breath leaving her in another loud gasp. 

Lying on the floor of the cavern was a body. It was sitting up, leaning against one of the crystals. In life she had probably been beautiful, with long, thick black hair that fell to her waist, a narrow face with large oval shaped eyes that would have been a deep blue in life. Her skin, which might have been a smooth olive color was now a greyish-blue, ice having formed across her once flawless skin. There was an intricate tattoo that curved along her forehead and down the sides of her face to frame her eyes. She was dressed all in black, from her thigh-high black leather boots to the black cape that she wore. Her hands were at her sides, the fingers open. In one hand lay a lightsaber; the hilt was a shiny black, made that much more beautiful by the thin layer of frost that covered it. The end of the hilt was ringed in silver spikes and what looked like a large red jewel at the end. 

As Rey's light flowed over the body she realized there were more bodies around the woman. First Rey saw other humanoid creatures dressed in similar clothing to the woman who was sitting up, but unlike her, where she looked almost perfectly preserved, the other bodies looked shrunken. Their bodies looked drained, old, mummified, as if their very essence had been drained from them along with all their bodily fluids. They looked completely dessicated, reminding Rey of bodies she had seen on Jakku where the naturally occurring dry heat and sand commonly mummified the body of anyone who became lost without water or shelter from the burning sun and relentless sand. Spreading out from these forms were others, animals that looked to be in the same condition, drained, dried. Rey shone her light around, frowning as she took in the sight. There were at least several dozen animal bodies down here along with the handful of humanoids. All of them drained. 

Rey frowned in confusion when she heard the voice. 

“You found me.” 

Rey spun around to see the image of a woman. And not just any woman, but the image of the woman whose body she had just seen moments ago looking frozen and perfectly preserved, yet now that same woman stood in front of her. It took Rey a couple of seconds to realize she wasn't seeing the physical form of the woman, but in fact, a ghost. 

The figure before her shimmered with a soft light blue illumination. It was almost soothing. The light shimmered softly, gentle to her sight, and the woman herself looked serene, peaceful, almost motherly. She smiled gently, her arms out her voice filled with kindness, not nearly as harsh as when Rey heard her voice in her head. 

“I'm so pleased to finally see you, Rey.” 

Rey looked slightly startled when the spirit said her name, though she supposed she shouldn't have been after knowing the woman had been in her head. Pulling her name from her mind wouldn't have been that difficult. It was something Ben could do easily enough with most people, she thought for a moment. 

Rey licked her lips nervously holding the chemlight up a little higher. The yellow light shone through the woman onto the crystals behind her. “Who...who are you?” 

The woman smiled softly. “My name is Trisae.” 

Rey turned slightly to look down at the woman's dead body and the body of the others. “What...what happened here? What happened to you?” 

Trisae sighed sadly. “There was a great battle. I had come here to collect crystals for my daughter and my other students...all of the young Jedi I was training...the future of the Jedi order...at least that was my hope. But I was followed by Sith who were out to destroy any Jedi they found, any light. I was so careless, they found me...followed me here after I thought I had lost them. They wanted to destroy the light, all light no matter how large or small. It was a hard battle...a battle I was losing. I knew if I lost, they would hunt down my daughter, my students and kill them all, so I made a decision.” Trisae looked sadly down at the bodies, and Rey could feel the spirit's anguish emanate from her like a faint, chill breeze. “I...I did the only thing I could to stop them, I sacrificed myself in a Force blast that took all of the Sith with me.” 

Rey looked down at the woman's body, at the bodies of the others in horror. “You...you killed yourself and them?” 

Trisae smiled sadly. “I had no other choice. It was let them win and hunt down my daughter and the others...so do this terrible thing...I had to choose...” Trisae closed her eyes. Rey was overcome with feelings of loneliness, desolation, and regret. 

Trisae spoke softly more to herself than to Rey. “My daughter is gone now. That was so many years ago I know she is no longer part of the galaxy. But you Rey, you are my second chance, my chance to bring what I know back into the galaxy, back into the world...so that the Jedi can continue.” 

“How? You...you're gone,” Rey observed softly, trying to keep her focus on the spirit and not the body of the woman. 

Trisae smiled “Through you, of course. I can pass down everything I know to you.” 

“But...how? I...I can't stay here.” Rey motioned around her, taking in the cave, the ice...all of it. 

“You misunderstand child, no not here...I can be with you. Look there.” Trisae pointed to her lightsaber. “Pick it up.” 

Rey frowned slightly. There was a part of her that told her not to do this, that something wasn't completely right. The same inner voice that had told her not to answer the call the previous night; she could almost hear Luke's voice telling her to trust her feelings, but how could she?A malaise rolled over her like a dark cloud, her feelings turning dark with it, uncertainty, fear, deep loneliness and intense sadness. Rey's thoughts turned darker with the malaise 

How could she trust her feelings?! Her feelings had told her Ben would turn back to the light, yet he hadn't. She had been so wrong, so how could she be sure she was right this time? She knew the answer—she couldn't be sure, she had already shown she could be wrong...deadly wrong. But...no...she couldn't let herself fall into those dark thoughts...Ben...Ben was still there. She could still reach him. She wouldn't give up after just one try—he could come back. She had to believe that...Rey squeezed her eyes shut on the feelings that threatened to overwhelm her. 

* 

The thought of Ben made Rey's heart beat faster. She hadn't spoken to him in days...she was overcome suddenly by the power of her emotions. She wished he was here with her, wished she could reach out to him and talk to him right now...look into his eyes. Despite everything that had happened between them, she just knew that looking into his eyes would make everything better, would make her feel more confident, more determined... 

But she didn't have him with her. She was alone out here in a cavern full of cold crystals and the dead. Rey walked over to the dead woman's body. She pulled off her glove and reached out for the saber. Her fingertips brushed the black, frost-dusted saber hilt. The metal was so cold that it burned. She snatched her hand back, but it was only cold—there was nothing else there. She slipped her glove back on and picked up the saber. 

Trisae smiled. “Now I may go with you. We can leave this place and I can direct you to someplace where you can find all the Jedi teachings you could ever want Rey. Everything that the Jedi were will be laid open to you.” 

For a moment Rey thought of Luke's books, but she said nothing about them as she looked at Trisae. “Where is this place?” Rey asked. 

Trisae grinned at her new student. “Korriban.”


	6. Calinari's Sunset

Kylo knew. As soon as his ship broke through the planet's atmosphere, he knew she was gone. He had missed her; by how close, he couldn’t be sure, but he felt the void of her in his chest...in the Force. Rey was gone. 

He sighed, scanned his instruments, but it wasn’t his instruments that told him there was life on this frozen rock of a planet. He could feel it, in the Force. Not just the planet’s native population of animals. He felt a grouping of people.. Kylo decided that they may be his best option for finding Rey. 

As he slowly brought his ship in, the sea of white, made blinding under the sun, assaulted his eyes. Kylo closed his eyes and let the Force guide him instead. It was a trick he used to do a lot as a child before he went to live with his uncle. He had even done it a few times with the Falcon, much to his father’s chagrin. His mother had always enjoyed it, enjoyed the panic that would come over his father when Kylo would fly the ship--or any craft--without utilizing his eyes, but rather using his Force connection to guide him. 

He remembered the stories his mother would tell of his Uncle Luke doing the same thing. 

For a moment Kylo’s connection wobbled. His uncle, the man who had tried to kill him...the man he had wanted to kill, the man whose respect and love he had wanted just as much as he had from his father...The frustration and rage he had felt on the field on Crait boiled to the surface. Kylo struggled for a few moments, easing the ship back along her smooth path. 

Kylo let out a breath he hadn’t be aware he had been holding. His connection to the Force was strong enough that he could feel the Force even in the machinery of the ship. It had always bothered his father when Ben would close his eyes and fly...letting the Force guide him or when he could stick his hands into the belly of the ship and simply “know” what was wrong. 

Kylo frowned just slightly as he guided his ship over the snowy landscape. He wasn't sure why he was flying the ship as he was, letting the Force guide him, except there was a part of him that felt more alive than he had in a very long time...really not since the night he saw his uncle standing over him with his lightsaber drawn, the green glow dancing over his face, his eyes crazed. Since that night, Kylo had felt trapped in a spiral of darkness that he simply couldn’t break free from, but now...he didn’t know if it was Rey or the death of Snoke, but he felt that much closer to the person he used to be before… 

Kylo shook his head, the ship dipping to the side as he lost focus for a moment. His eyes flew open. Ahead of him he could feel something. That was where they were, the people who called this place home. 

Kylo landed his small ship at the doorstep of the snow covered “cave,” though he sensed it was a crafted structure and not a cave at all. He didn’t wait long before he stepped out into the freezing air. The wind whipped around him, caught his cape and sent the material snapping behind him as he looked around, his hair whipping across his eyes for a moment before he pulled a pair of goggles into place, the dark lenses plunging the bright white world into a shade of grey. 

Rey was not here. He felt her absence like a hole in his soul, but maybe...he frowned turning. He could feel something, the remains of something, almost like the ghost of smoke in the air. That darkness he had felt closing in around Rey...it was here. No, he realized. It had been here. Kylo felt a twist in his gut--he was too late. 

Someone shouted, rousing him from his introspection. 

“Hey! Who are you?” 

Kylo turned to see a man approaching him with a blaster out. Even with the goggles over his eyes and the layers of clothing he wore against the cold, Kylo could see that the man was older, probably close to his father’s age, but the first thing that occurred to Kylo was that the man looked like someone his father would have run around with; he had that “pirate” look about him with the long hair and beard. But it wasn't just his appearance; he had that familiar, cocky self-assurance that seemed to be an integral part of every pirate, smuggler or gambler that had been a friend of his father’s. 

As the man approached him, Kylo was conflicted, on one hand he felt a rage building in him, that rage that he still held toward his father...the father that simply couldn’t accept his son for who he was...but it was mixed with need. No matter how Kylo tried, even at the moment he had killed him...he still had wanted his father’s approval, he wanted his father’s love, two things he never felt he had. There had been a moment--just before he killed Han Solo--when Ben had questioned whether he had been wrong about his father all along. Kylo closed his eyes for a moment and pushed that thought away...no. It was too late. He wanted to let go of the past and that included anything he wished or felt in regards to his father. 

As the man approached, his blaster trained on him, Kylo’s fingers twitched, reaching for his saber, but he stopped himself. He told himself he would learn more without it, but deep down he didn’t kill the man because of her. Rey. She wouldn’t want that...and so he balled his hand into a fist, dropping it once more to his side. 

Instead Kylo waited, his hands out so that the man could see that he was unarmed, or at least not reaching for his weapon. 

The man stopped, gesturing with his blaster. “I asked you a question boy--who are you?” 

Kylo slowly brought his hands up. “I’m here looking for someone.” 

The man’s lip curled. “There ain’t no one here for the likes of you First Order.” 

The man humphed at Kylo’s expression using his head to indicate Kylo’s ship behind him. “I ain’t a fool boy, I know the lines of a ship like that, the color...First Order through and through. Now I’m going to be nice, you get on out of here and I’ll let you live. You give me a problem, I shoot you.” 

Kylo narrowed his eyes just a little and extended his hand. The man jerked, his eyes widening in shock. In the next instant Kylo had yanked the blaster from his hand, the weapon leaping the distance between them into Kylo’s other outstretched hand. He tossed it aside taking slow calculated steps toward the man before he stopped just inches from him. 

He could hear the sounds of others coming toward them, but he didn’t pay them any attention; his sights were on the man in front of him. The pirate used both hands to claw at his throat as Kylo studied him. He looked into the man’s eyes then into his thoughts, searching for the information he needed. 

Images rushed by, the death of a friend, the anger of a child...battles in space...a new family...crash landing...the cold...wait... 

There! Rey...for a moment Kylo’s heart twisted painfully in his chest seeing her in this man’s memories. She looked so beautiful, wild and untamed...unsullied by the Jedi...untouched by the past...just her. She stood next to this man, thanking him for his help, her hand extended, the man taking it, surprised at the calluses on her palm and fingers. The man...Solan, his name was Solan, pulled Rey toward him and embraced her. The hug was tight, affectionate. Rey had grinned and had returned the embrace. Kylo felt a spike of jealousy, a desire for such affection from Rey. 

Solan was thanking her for saving his crew members. Kylo watched her frown slightly, there was another presence with her. He could just barely sense it. He could feel it, something...someone...a darkness hovering over her, like a dense cloud of vapor that moved with a will of its own...it was...hiding itself...no. Kylo sensed that Rey knew it was there...but how? Why? 

The imaged changed. He could see Chewbacca standing beside the Falcon. Something in Kylo’s heart twisted in pain to see the ship...his uncle. For just a moment he wondered if there was something there between him and his uncle that could be repaired...but the memory of Chewbacca shooting him...Kylo felt a twinge of pain in his side. No...Just as he thought about his uncle, he was distracted by the shadow that hovered around Rey...it was like a ghost...dark, just behind her...the image shattered and Kylo was back standing on a snowy landscape, his cheeks chilled, snowflakes sticking to his hair and the goggles he wore like stars in a night sky. 

“When did she leave?” he demanded. 

Solan stuttered, his eyes had the faraway look as Kylo held his mind under his control. 

“Yesterday, she left yesterday!” 

* 

Rey frowned and glanced at the main controls of the Falcon like the ship was a very naughty child. They had just dropped out of hyperspace without her and Chewbacca touching a thing. 

“What is wrong with this ship now?” Rey sat up straight, her fingers and eyes going over the console quickly, but she saw nothing wrong, no lights going off, no warning sounds, just the heavy clunk and whine every time she tried to engage the hyperdrive. 

Chewbacca, who was sitting beside her, gave a mournful moan and shrugged. Rey frowned. She was a little annoyed that the wookie seemed so calm about the situation, but she supposed he had been dealing with this--dare she think it--hunk of junk for longer than she had been alive, so she supposed he simply flowed with the ship’s peculiarities. Such as dropping out of hyperspace for no reason. 

Rey made a face and stood up. “I’m going to go check on the engines; be right back.” 

Chewbacca responded by shrugging again, putting his hands behind his head, and leaning back in his seat. Rey made a face, wrinkling her nose before she headed down the small hall. 

She hurried off down the corridor alone, though she could feel the presence of Trisae hovering around her like a ring of smoke or the clouds of sand that drifted through the air after a sandstorm back on Jakku. The spirit didn’t say a word, but Rey was well aware of her, a slightly heavy presence. Rey frowned to herself. She hadn’t mentioned the spirit to Chewbacca. She had told herself before they left Hoth that she was going to...she even told Trisae that she was going to tell the wookie about the Jedi spirit. Trisae had protested, however, explaining to her that the wookie would not understand...but Rey had insisted. But when it came time to tell him, she had simply...not. Rey wasn’t exactly sure why she had remained quiet. Maybe it was because she knew the stories about Ben...how Snoke had been speaking to him long before Ben started down the path to the dark side...molding him...filling Ben with doubt, playing on those feelings of insecurity that Ben harbored. But he had been just a boy, young, scared and vulnerable. Rey was young, but she didn’t see herself as vulnerable. She had been raised to take care of herself on Jakku. Still...she didn’t mention Trisae to Chewbacca; she only told him that they were going to a planet named Korriban to look for information about the Jedi. 

She made her way along the corridor until she found the hatch. For a moment she smiled remembering her first trip on the Millennium Falcon, when she and Finn struggled together to fix the ship. Finn had no idea what she was talking about, that adorable cute look of confusion on his face. 

She missed him. She wondered how things were progressing for him and Rose. Rey hoped well. Rose would be lucky to have Finn...and Finn needed someone to love him. It wasn’t that Rey didn’t love Finn...just not like that...her heart belonged to someone else. 

Rey ran her fingertips along the handle to lift the hatch, her mind drifting to Ben...his pain filled eyes...his full lips… 

Trisae’s voice whispered. “Ben. Who is this Ben that you dwell on?” 

Rey frowned and shook her head. “Nobody.” 

Trisae’s voice caressed her mind. “He doesn’t seem like nobody. He seems important to you.” 

Rey’s brow furrowed. Her feelings for Ben were...complicated. Instead Rey responded. 

“That’s private.” 

Trisae laughed softly, the sound everywhere and nowhere. Rey reached out touching Trisae’s lightsaber. For a moment, the rash feeling of tossing the weapon away from her overcame her. The feeling of needing to free herself...but just as swiftly as the feeling overcame her, Rey dismissed it. She was being childish, foolish. She took a breath speaking in her mind to the Jedi’s spirit. 

“Ben is someone...I...feel very strongly for, but we parted poorly. I don’t know where he is...and I don’t know if I will see him again.” 

Trisae was silent for a heartbeat before she answered. “Attachment will lead to heartbreak. I speak from experience.” 

Rey frowned. “What about your daughter?” 

Trisae spoke softly, so softly that Rey almost didn’t hear her. “The closer the attachment...the more painful the break.” 

Rey stood still for a moment staring down at the hatch. The feelings coming from Trisae were both sad, but dark. Rey understood. The heartache from the loss of her family, her parents, was still raw even after all this time. She could understand not wanting to feel that kind of pain. Then there were her feelings for Ben...so complicated though there was a part her of her heart, a part that she was keeping quiet, safe, that knew if Ben stood before her right now and asked for forgiveness, asked to be led into the light, she would throw herself into his arms and gladly hold Ben’s hand. She would guide him back to the light...she would give everything to him. It was such a strong feeling, both painful and hopeful...she kept that little glimmer of hope to herself, away from Chewbacca, Leia...Trisae. Her feelings for Ben were private. She held them close and locked them away from everyone else. 

Rey took a deep breath and lifted up the hatch, hopped down into the bowels of the ship. She pulled a few panels off and started to inspect the wiring. 

Trisae made no other comment about Ben. 

Rey made a face. She had forgotten what a mess the insides of this ship were. There were so many hot wired, rigged pieces of who-knew-what...she was surprised the Falcon flew as well as it did. She was digging into the ship’s inner workings when she saw what the problem was...several of the wires were covered in a fine frost as well as one of the parts--it was a small part--and she couldn’t even be sure what it did, but the entire thing was encased in ice and whatever the darn thing was, it was preventing them from remaining in hyperspace. She shook her head. Something so small was causing so much trouble. 

Rey worked at breaking off the ice, wondering the whole time how ice could have formed in here, especially with no coolant leaks. After a minute of chipping away at the ice, she climbed back up to find the tool box and dragged it down into the maintenance well with her, but nothing was working. The ice was coming off in small pieces, but it was surprisingly dense. She wondered again how it had not frozen any of the other systems, wires or the hundred of other weird little things hooked into the ship. It was the oddest thing...but however it had happened and whatever it was...they were going to need another of them. 

Rey muttered to herself before she pulled herself out of the hole and made her way back to Chewbacca having finally gotten the piece of equipment loose from its housing. It was small, fit in the palm of her hand with wires coming out of it like arteries to a heart. The wookie turned as she stepped into the cockpit and threw herself down into the pilot seat. 

“Well, we have ice, but it seems to only be on this piece.” Rey set the strange little device down on the console. 

Chewbacca made a mournful cry. 

Rey frowned. “What is it?” 

Chewbacca made another sound and Rey lifted a brow in confusion. “I’ve never heard of that, a differential regulator? What’s it do?” 

Chewbacca muttered and Rey sighed. “It makes the ship go fast in hyperspace, I get that. Where do we get one?” 

Chewbacca made another sound and Rey sighed. “Wonderful. No idea.” 

That was when she heard Trisae whisper in her mind. “Look out your viewport.” 

Rey frowned and looked. She didn’t see anything at first, only stars. But as she kept scanning the blackness in front of her, she realized that one of the “stars” wasn’t twinkling like it should; there was something more rhythmic to the lights. Rey leaned forward as if that might provide her with a clearer look. 

“Chewie? What is that?” Rey pointed. 

Chewbacca frowned following her finger. After a few moments and looking down at the console, pushing a few buttons and twisting a knob or two to initiate a scan, Chewie rumbled. Rey blinked in surprise. 

“A ship? Out here in the middle of nowhere?” 

* 

The ship was a Minstrel-class space yacht. Rey gazed at the ship with her mouth slightly open. The outside of the ship was trimmed in blue, purple and pink lights that were rolling, pulsing and flickering to a beat that continued to repeat itself, creating a beacon in the vastness of space. Within a few minutes of setting course for the ship, a cheerily pitched voice buzzed them over the coms. 

“Hello!! And welcome to Calinari’s Sunset! The most popular spacefaring night club and full entertainment facility in the galaxy!! We welcome all species, all religions, all cults and even politicians! Everyone’s money is good at Calinari’s! We offer the best gambling games anywhere in the galaxy. We have men and women of every species. You may take your ship along the side to your starboard please, where our spacious docking is located. Parking costs are one hundred credits per hour, or you can buy a Calinari’s special parking card for a one time fee of fifteen hundred credits. Or we also offer lifetime membership to Calinari’s Sunset--please ask within for considerable discounts toward parking, our rooms and our numerous restaurants and shops.” 

Rey glanced sideways at Chewie with lifted eyebrows. The wookie shrugged. 

Rey whispered more to herself than to Chewie. “I have a bad feeling about this.” 

Chewie laid a hand on her shoulder making a series of grunts that ended with a whine. 

She muttered. “Well, I suppose you’re right. What have be got to lose? Maybe someone will be selling the part we need.” 

* 

The parking inside the docking bay was filled with ships of all shapes and sizes, some Rey had seen before, but there were a great many she had never seen in her life! But the ships were nothing compared to the amount of aliens and droids she saw wandering everywhere! The closest comparison would be from when she was in Maz Kanata’s palace, but that place was dwarfed by this flying nightclub. 

When she and Chewie stepped off the ship, they were greeted by a tall slender Zabrak with light brown skin, dark blue eyes and several horns sticking out from beneath the thick locks of his black and blue hair. He was dressed in tight blue pants and a white tunic with a bright blue robe over the top. 

He had rushed over to them all smiles, his arms out in greeting. “Welcome to Calinari’s Sunset, where your desires and dreams are only a corridor away!” He smiled at them both then directed his attention to Rey. She was a bit taken aback by the directness of his gaze and the vivid blue color of his eyes. She would swear the color of his eyes was not a shade of blue one would see in nature. 

“The docking costs are one hundred credits per hour or you can pay by the day at a slight discount. We also offer...” He didn’t get a chance to finish speaking before Chewbacca said something. Rey didn't quite catch what the wookie said, but it sounded rude. 

Rey gasped and choked on a chuckle. “Chewie!” 

“What did you say?” The Zabrak turned his attention to Chewbacca. The wookie said something else which Rey only caught a few words of and almost immediately the two started to argue. She only understood the Zabrak’s side of the conversation, but judging by his reactions Chewie was bargaining and being rude at the same time. She put her hand up to her mouth to cover her giggles. 

Rey stood there staring at them, then looking around the landing bay, and back at the ship. She heard Trisae whisper. “Leave them dear. I think they are going to be arguing about the price for using a landing slot for a while.” 

Rey chewed her bottom lip thinking it over before she waved at Chewie. “I’m gonna go on and see if any place here sells parts!” 

Chewie nodded and waved. The Zabrak glanced at her and smiled. “Enjoy yourself young lady. We accept all forms of payment,” he added before he turned his attention back to arguing with Chewie about the fees. Rey couldn’t be sure, but she thought the Zabrack seemed to be enjoying the bickering over price. 

Rey snickered and headed off, following the neon signs leading from the docking bay and into the main body of Calinari’s Sunset. 

* 

Rey followed the neon signs written in glowing basic as well as several other languages. The signs led her along twisting corridors, stairs and lifts as Rey struggled to try to find the main market area of the club. She could hear the thump of music everywhere she went, though she hadn’t run into the nightclub portion--or portions--of the ship. The place was huge. Her stomach had rumbled terribly when she had stumbled across the restaurant area; the smells had been both disgusting and delicious! She had found the...well...she guessed the more “adult” entertainment section of the ship where she had seen so many naked aliens...and so many types of...Rey decided not to follow that thought as she kept moving along briskly. 

As she made her way through the vessel, she was stunned by the people. There were so many brightly dressed aliens, and they themselves were also brightly colored. The array of skin colors was more than she had ever seen, but it was the clothing that really stood out for Rey. She saw women in an array of beautiful outfits, but what really caught Rey’s eyes were the colors of fabric. 

On Jakku there wasn’t a lot of color except shades of brown, yellow, grey and black. No one there wore bright and cheerful colors; everyone blended in until there had only been a sea of browns, dust covered. Everything on Jakku had a dull, sand beaten shade of desperation and despair...brown, dull yellows, dull oranges, metal greys. Dull--everywhere, everything, even the people. Rey had been part of that dull brown, dusty and metal landscape, from her clothing to her own coloring, with dark brown hair and dark hazel eyes. Nothing about her was colorful. 

On Jakku, her coloring--clothing and hair--helped her blend in, helped her remained unnoticed, which helped her survive. Here she stood out...but as something dull. All the aliens around her shone like jewels, beautiful precious stones full of life and color, but Rey felt dirty...small. For a moment Ben...holding his hand out to her...those words...that she was a nobody...but not to him. Not to him. For a heartbeat, Rey was filled with regret...what might have happened if she had taken his hand? 

Rey pressed her lips together and hurried forward. She needed to find a place that could help her replace this part...whatever this part might be. She didn’t need to worry about how she looked, how she felt… 

Trisae made no comment. She could feel Rey’s unease. The young woman felt out of place, adrift in a world where she didn’t belong...isolated. There was more there, but 

Rey was shielding those thoughts from her and doing a fine job for someone so untrained. Trisae was sure that Rey’s thoughts were about this person named Ben...this man who held her heart. Interesting. 

The spirit simply listened, felt, and observed having receded back from Rey’s consciousness. 

* 

Kylo had pushed his ship to its limits. He wasn’t far behind her. At the worst, he was a full day behind, and at the best, maybe only hours. He probably could have ripped that information from the man named Solan, a more specific time, but as soon as he had heard that Rey was gone, that she had just left not that long before he arrived, Kylo simply couldn’t stay…he had to catch up to her. It had been stupid and reckless, but to know he had missed her by so little… 

Kylo closed his eyes, reaching out for her across space, searching for that connection. When he felt her...it was a flash of self-doubt, a pain of feeling out of place… 

He reacted swiftly, hit the controls and dropped out of hyperspace abruptly, pushing his inertial dampeners to their limits, but he knew she was close, knew that if he didn’t hurry he would miss her again. 

Kylo grabbed the yoke, his eyes rolling shut, the Force guiding him as he turned the ship, orienting in the direction that he felt Rey. When he opened his eyes Kylo frowned in confusion...there was a ship in front of him, but it wasn’t the Falcon. 

* 

Rey blinked in astonishment. She had followed the signs, but instead of ending up in the marketplace like she had hoped, she found herself in a gigantic room filled with colorful lights and music so loud that it made her entire body vibrate. 

A large bar dominated the middle of the room, a rounded area where several bartenders moved at incredible speeds filling drink orders. Large comfortable looking couches were scattered throughout the room, neon images flashed in the air of dancers, strange psychedelic symbols in vibrant colors, even the air smelled of sweetness that made goosebumps rise over her skin. And the room was crowded with people, so many species, Rey could not begin to count. She could see dancers, women and men above her in large ivory cages dancing, wearing little to no clothing. There were other dancers on the numerous dance floors, and on dangerous looking floating pads. She could see people drinking strange and exotic drinks, people laughing...some looked to be shooting strange and brightly colored liquids into their arms or holding tiny vials of gases to their faces and breathing deeply. 

So much activity was occurring that Rey felt overwhelmed. 

She was about to turn back, to flee from the area when something pulled at her. At first she almost ignored it. There was just too much going on in this place for her to make sense of, definitely too much for her to be comfortable...but the pull… 

She felt someone put their hand on her shoulder and turned Rey around. 

“Hey beautiful.” 

She looked up to see a tall man, taller than even Ben, with light green skin. He had a series of tattooed marks along his chin and another set over his nose. He was shaved bald, though Rey could see the light stubble of dark hair growing back. He was dressed in a checked suit of red and black though he worn only a loose jacket and no shirt showing off the fact that the man had an impressively muscled chest and stomach. 

He kept a hold of her shoulder as he grinned down at her showing off rows of perfect, very white teeth. 

“Well hello, little mouse.” His voice was thickly accented as he spoke. “My name is Dulgan. Can I buy you a drink? Drugs? Something a bit more...spicy?” 

Rey tried to pull away, but the man’s grip was strong. 

“No thank you. I’m just looking for the market area.” Rey tried once more to tug her shoulder away, but his grip didn’t loosen. 

“Let me buy you a drink. We can talk a bit, then I can lead you right to the market.” He leaned down. “Come on my little mouse. Let Dulgan show you a good time.” 

“I don’t think so,” Rey said between clenched teeth. 

Dulgan laughed. “Ah come on little thing. I bet I can show you a really good time.” 

“She said NO!” 

Rey’s eyes widened. She knew that voice! 

That was the moment that Dulgan was grabbed by the shoulder and spun around. Rey saw him then, Ben standing in the dancing lights of the nightclub, dressed all in black. For a split second their eyes met, Rey’s heartbeat doubled in speed as she gazed at Ben’s face. 

Dulgan snarled leaning over Ben, using his extreme height to try to intimidate the black clad man. “No one touches Dulgan.” 

Kylo’s eyes narrowed. “The lady said no.” 

Kylo swung his fist. Rey felt it; he didn’t use the Force, he didn’t use anything except his own strength and the intensity of his feelings as his fist met Dulgan’s face. 

Even over the sound of the loud music, Rey could hear the sound of Ben’s fist meeting Dulgan’s face with a heavy, meaty sound...the impact snapping Dulgan’s head back. 

Rey watched in shock as Ben flattened the larger man. Dulgan hit the floor like a tree falling to earth. The club goers around them stopped and turned, a split second of shock that was quickly enveloped again by the music of the place as everyone returned to whatever it was they had been doing. 

Rey looked from Dulgan to Ben who was standing there, his hands rolled into fists, his eyes glaring at the fallen man. 

“Ben?” Rey said his name softly. 

Ben slowly brought his eyes up, his brown soulful gaze meeting her own.


	7. Barfight and Drinks

“What are you doing here?” Rey asked softly, her voice tense with amazement--and something else she couldn’t put her finger on--at seeing him, but the feelings that were racing around in her chest were clearly echoed by Ben judging by the look on his face when he turned to look at her. He was dressed--as always--all in black, but he had at least made an effort to blend in wearing tight pants (that Rey noticed immediately showed off his legs), a long sleeved shirt, a long vest that hung down past his knees, and knee high black boots with a series of complicated looking buckles. Any sign of the Order’s new leader or the dark Force user that he was, was hidden by his clothing. Still, Rey could feel the dark aura around him, the power, the strength, and the anger and the fear. She understood him like she understood herself...there was so much possibility in him, a light surrounded by darkness. He made her feel not just confused, but...she set aside her feelings and instead brought her attention back to his physical appearance. His thick black hair was slightly longer, brushing his shoulders and the scar on his face--the scar she had given him--stood out against his pale skin. She wanted to reach out and caress the skin around the scar, to apologize for the physical pain she had caused him, but she sensed that touching him that intimately might open doors she wasn’t sure she was ready to step through. 

She was a little overwhelmed with his presence and the intensity of her feelings that welled up in her chest, tight and hot. He was close, right here in front of her, near enough she could simply reach out and touch him. She felt a tremble, her skin chill-bumped at the sight of him, his dark brooding eyes, the slight pout to his lips. The pull she always felt toward him intensified, prompted her to take a step toward him. 

Ben didn’t say a word, he simply stepped closer to Rey, towering over her. He reached out toward her, his gaze intense and serious. She thought at first he was going to grab her arms, but instead he reached up and took her face in both his glove covered hands. She could feel the heat of his body radiating from him, could see the pure emotion in his eyes as she let him draw her closer, staring down at her. He leaned closer yet and his eyes drew her in. She just stood there, unmoving and mesmerized by him. She could feel the force of their connection, the bond tugging, pulling, holding them together. Ben bent toward her, his lips only inches away. She reached out and placed her hands on his waist, letting him draw her closer. She could feel the warmth of his breath against her mouth, her lips parting in response... 

“Hey! Who you think you are? No one hits Dulgan!” 

The owner of the voice grabbed Ben by the shoulder, clawed fingers digging into his arm and ripped him away from Rey to reveal a grey skinned Noghri with deep set dark eyes who only came up to about Ben’s rib cage, wearing dark pants and a simple shirt under a tight fitting leather jacket. Behind him were three more people, all clearly looking for a fight. One of the Noghri’s companions was a human female with orange hair spun in a series of complicated braids on top of her head. She was the same height as Rey and dressed in what looked to be some sort of dark blue flight suit. Another member of the group was a dark blue furred Lepi dressed in dark pants and a sleeveless black tunic, and finally an Aqualish with dark russet skin on one side of his face, the other half his face burned and scarred into a angry, shiny red. He wore simple pants and a grey shirt with a jacket almost the same exact shade of his skin. 

The Noghri thumped Ben in the chest with his knuckles. “You need to be taught a lesson human, no one messes with Dulgan and Dulgan’s crew.” 

Ben snarled dangerously. “Step back, now.” 

The Noghri laughed, displaying his fangs, and turned to glance over his shoulder at his shipmates. “Listen to the human!!” 

They all laughed. 

Rey put her hands up. “Look, we’ll just leave. There is no need for a fight.” 

The Lepi sneered. “There is always a need for a fight. Besides, Dulgan wanted you, Dulgan gets you. You come with us, we’ll leave your friend alone.” 

Rey looked both horrified and angry. She had never been a slave exactly, but she understood what it was like to have choices taken away, to be used by someone with more power, and she knew Ben understood too. He had been a slave to Snoke even if he hadn’t realized it until that day in Snoke’s throne room. He had been used, abused, his choices taken from him without him realizing it until it was too late. She felt the spike of anger and hate roll off Ben and it equaled her own, but she wasn’t prepared for what Ben did next. 

Ben turned just a little toward the Lepi, his head angled down slightly. His eyes flashed dangerously, his emotions riding just on the surface. The Lepi didn’t have time to react before Ben’s fist snapped out, slamming into the Lepi’s face knocking the alien off his feet. 

Rey yelped in complete surprise. 

* 

The Noghri let out a shout and ploughed into Ben, knocking him out of Rey’s field of vision. The human woman turned and swung her fist at Rey. Rey jumped back, the woman’s fist just missing her jaw. The orange haired female growled and kicked at Rey, caught her in the stomach and sent her stumbling backwards. Dancers fled the dance floor with shouts and gasps, creating a natural circle around the combatants. Almost without a second thought, bets immediately began going around as the crowd cheerfully watched the fight that had begun. 

Clearly seeing Ben as the more dangerous of the two, and wanting to take Rey to the ship for their friend Dulgan, three of Dulgan’s friends focused on Ben which, as Rey pushed herself to her feet, she found annoying; not only being dismissed as a threat, but thinking that only one of them was enough to overpower her. 

The Lepi had gotten to his feet, hurrying toward Kylo who was flanked by the Noghri and the Aqualish. Ben had his hands up, balled into fists with a sneer dancing across his lips. These three were nothing he thought. He had grown up with fistfights. Being the son of Princess Leia and the famous smuggler Han Solo, and whose Uncle was the most famous Jedi in the galaxy, a legend, a myth, had done Kylo no favors...it had been part of the reason his mother had sent him away, not just because of his growing powers, but the fact that Kylo had no friends, no one he could trust or confide in. His status as being descended from legends had put a target on his back, always forced to prove himself, always under fire...always looked at as who he was related to and not for himself. Living and training with his Uncle had been no different...petty jealousy, anger at who he was...at his power. But because of that treatment, Kylo knew how to fight without the Force; sometimes the only way to keep things from his parents was when he didn’t use the Force...his mother always knew...seemed to know regardless of his use of the Force or not... 

Kylo twisted his body to the side just enough that his fist struck the Aqualish straight in the face. A quick half turn brought him back to the Noghri whom he struck square in the face as well, breaking something in the middle of his face because the alien screamed in pain and fell back. Kylo’s expression only changed slightly, a furrow of his brows, the grim set of his mouth, but if anyone had looked closely, they would have seen the slight upturn at the corners of his lips, a smile. It was a smirk that would have made his mother’s heart ache to see his father reflected in that slight grin, the relishing of a good, old-fashioned fight. 

Kylo turned as the Lepi tried to grab him from behind. The spin didn’t quite catch the Lepi off guard, however, for when Kylo turned, he punched the younger man in the side. Kylo grunted and bent into the pain, but that split second left an opening for the Lepi who followed with a strike to Kylo’s face, blooding the young man’s lip. Kylo sneered and twisted around fully to give the Lepi a furious set of punches, first to the chest, then to the throat and finally taking the rabbit eared alien in the face, hitting him hard enough that Kylo knocked one of the Lepi’s front teeth out. 

Kylo smirked again, but didn’t turn in time to protect himself from the Noghri who rammed bodily into him. Busy keeping the Noghri’s claws away from his face, Kylo didn’t notice the Aqualish who produced a knife... 

* 

Trisae quietly observed the fight through Rey, her interest peaked when the man that Rey had thought about and dreamed about appeared. Ben Solo...Kylo Ren...she wondered which name was the young man’s true one? As Trisae observed him, she felt a twinge of excitement. The young man was strong, very strong in the Force and while Rey was gifted and strong in her own right, this Ben Solo was something special. She could feel the taint of darkness already on him, part of him...this young man had been deeply exposed. She could sense there was more under the surface, but she couldn’t risk probing too closely or he would detect her and she didn’t want Rey to know about her interest...this young man might be persuaded to help her in guiding Rey...he might actually make this entire plan to get Rey to Korriban easier. And maybe, just maybe, Trisae might get two disciples. 

* 

Rey got to her feet, weaving out of the way as the human woman tried to take a swing at her. Rey, like Ben, knew exactly how to defend herself without using the Force. Jakku had been a harsh teacher. She had to defend herself from raiders, slavers, thieves, and worse. She had grown up knowing that the only person who would protect her was herself. She had learned to use her quarterstaff well, but before she had the staff, Rey had to depend on her fists and her feet. 

Rey dodged to the side, avoiding the next punch, though just barely. She swung out and caught the woman across her face, hitting her hard enough that some of the human woman’s orange hair came tumbling out of one of her braids. The woman shook her head, trying to clear the stars she suddenly saw, then swung again at Rey. Rey miscalculated and didn’t move quite fast enough; the women’s fist caught her in the shoulder. Pain radiated up from the impact, causing her to gasp in pain. Rey narrowed her eyes and snapped her fist out, and this time slammed the woman in the throat. Rey followed that punch, as the woman gasped and grabbed at her throat, with a good swift kick to her opponent’s stomach, laying her out on the dance floor to the cheers of the crowd watching. 

Rey didn’t stop to worry about the now downed woman or the crowd as she turned to help Ben. 

* 

The Noghri tried to use his dense body weight to plow Kylo over, but hitting the tall man in the back barely moved him more than a step. Kylo spun around, blocked a strike to his face, but that was the moment the Aqualish charged him, the hidden blade now revealed. The blade would have slid right between Kylo’s rib if not for the appearance of Rey. She moved swiftly, grabbed the wrist of the Aqualish, twisting his arm up at the same time that she moved to place herself between Ben and the scarred Aqualish, forcing his arm back and the tip of the blade into the Aqualish’s shoulder. The alien cried out in pain as Rey held his arm bent back, the blade tip a centimeter into his shoulder. 

“Take Dulgan and the rest of your friends and get out--now,” Rey said softly. 

The Aqualish nodded, but Rey wasn’t finished. “And if I see any of you while we’re here I’ll make sure that you’re never able to breed again.” 

The Aqualish nodded with a grimace. “Yes, yes okay,” it grunted out. 

Rey took a step back releasing the alien who yanked the blade out. The watching dancers cheered (some booed) as money changed hands. That was when the dance floor was overrun by at least six people, all dressed in crisp white and gold, helmets and visors disguising race and gender. They grabbed the Aqualish and his crewmates. 

“There are no weapons allowed on Calinari’s Sunset. You are coming with us,” one of the security said in a rather neutral, almost robotic voice. 

One of the guards walked up the Rey and Ben. “You two can go about your business, but if you are involved in another fight you will be asked to leave.” 

Kylo grunted as he wiped the blood off his lips with the back of his hand. “Understood.” 

He took Rey’s hand, his fingers sliding between hers. “Come along, I’ll buy us a drink.” 

Rey was a little startled, but she felt a smile on her lips and responded with a nod. 

Kylo quickly led Rey away as security gathered up the crew that had attacked them and escorted them out of the club. The Noghri leveled a black eyed gaze at Kylo, a threat there, but Kylo said nothing as he led Rey toward the bar. 

The bar was long and curved with almost all spaced taken up by other club patrons, but as they approached, Kylo waved his hand gently in front of him. Rey heard him whisper under his breath. “You should move.” 

Two aliens that were sitting at the bar, a light skinned Tarro and a masked Ubese, moved off their stools and away without a word. Kylo released Rey’s hand. With a look asking permission--which Rey gave with a nod--he wrapped his hands around her waist and lifted her onto a stool. Rey tried to ignore the shiver of delight she felt at his touch, confused and mixed up feelings in her heart for him, but she couldn’t deny she was happy to see him, excited in ways she had never felt before when he touched her. That only made her wonder what his hands would feel like without the gloves...like hers? Rough, calloused, or smooth? 

Kylo took the stool beside her just as the bartender, a man with a bald head and two cybernetic arms wearing an apron that might have been white a century ago, waltzed over and shouted over the music. “What can I get you folks?” 

Ben turned to Rey. 

“Ah...” She frowned, her complete inexperience with the world outside Jakku reared its ugly head to remind her that she had never ordered a drink in a bar before and had no idea what alcohol even tasted like. She glanced at Ben for help, then back at the bartender. “I’m not really sure what to order.” 

The bartender smiled giving her a kind look as if he sensed this was her first time at a real bar. “How about I start you with something small and light? I think a Blue Mappa would be just what you need.” He lightly smacked the counter before pointing at her. 

Rey smiled. The name of the drink at least sounded nice. “Yes please.” 

The bartender gave her a fatherly smile before he turned his attention to Kylo, leaning an arm on the bar and leaned closer to Kylo. “And what can I get you, young man?” 

Kylo, who had set both hands on the bar spoke without thinking about it. “A Flameout.” 

The bartender lifted a brow. “That’s...interesting; surprised a young man like you knows about an old drink like that, but okay.” 

The man smiled and walked off to make their drinks. Kyle winced slightly...Flameout was one of his father’s favorite drinks from his younger days. Kylo knew about it because the drink figured prominently in some stories that his father had told a young Ben, the boy sitting on his father’s lap looking up at his father eagerly for every morsel of attention he could get from his father. They would be like that, Han telling little Ben inappropriate stories while Uncle Chewie made grunting and snarling commentary that made the little boy laugh, until his mother would interrupt telling Han not to fill the boy’s head with smuggler nonsense. Kylo recalled the smiles on both his parents’ faces in that memory. Those were the times before he had grown stronger in the Force, before his father’s easy natural with him turned to fear...to hatred. Kylo had felt that shift in both his parents--the stronger he had become, the more they feared him...until he was sent away. 

Kylo quickly pushed the unsettling thoughts aside and turned his attention fully on Rey. 

“I’ve been looking for you,” he said softly with only a hint of accusation in his voice. 

Despite the volume of the music, Rey could hear him perfectly. Then she frowned slightly, though her heart skipped a pleased beat. “Why? I thought I made it clear, I don't want to be part of your Order.” 

She winced. She hadn’t meant that to come out the way it did and hearing herself state the words so plainly and bluntly made her angry at herself because she could almost feel the way they affected Ben, like a slam to the face. She would even swear she saw him flinch at her words. 

Kylo’s frown deepened slightly. He looked uncomfortable as he glanced down where one of his gloved hands rested on the bar. Instead of focusing on what she had said about joining him, he instead said softly. “I’ve...I've been plagued with dreams...dreams about you.” 

Rey frowned as she rested one elbow on the counter. “Me?” 

Kylo looked up. He was uncomfortable with the intensity of his emotions where Rey was concerned. He had let his emotions push him here, to this moment with her, right here in front of him...and now he didn’t know what he should do... 

* 

Trisae listened expectantly. Dreams? This young man was having prophetic dreams? How interesting. Or was it perhaps something else? She had felt a light tug on Rey, as if there were a connection to something, but the girl was not fully opened to Trisae yet; she was still blocking her, keeping things from her. Trisae watched Ben and frowned. But the young man had another name...Kylo Ren. Rey refused to touch on that name, only referring to the handsome young man as Ben, Ben Solo. There was something there in Rey’s mind, a whisper...The Knights of Ren...Trisae frowned in thought, she knew that name...but from where...her memories were fuzzy, she had been in the state she was now for a long, long time... 

She shook off those thoughts and focused. There was so much to earn here, so much to gain and everything to lose... 

* 

“Yes.” Ben looked uncomfortable to Rey as he spoke. 

The bartender returned with their drinks, placed a bright red concoction in front of Ben and a bright, yet soothing blue in front of Rey. 

“There you go. Let me know if you two need anything else.” The man smiled and hurried off to help more customers. 

Ben picked up his drink and took a sip. If the alcohol burned he gave no indication from his expression. Rey picked up her drink, but she couldn’t take her eyes off of Ben, watching the way he sipped the drink, his lips, his eyes. She took a sip of her own drink and smiled in delight. “Oh Ben! You should try this!” 

Kylo glanced over at Rey in surprise, but she was leaning over holding her drink in one hand, the straw in the other as she held it up to him. He wasn’t really sure how to react except to stare at her as he leaned over and took the offered sip. 

She grinned with excitement. “Isn’t it good? I don’t think I’ve ever had a drink this sweet.” 

Kylo smiled just a little at her. “Don’t drink it too quickly,” he warned. 

She nodded as she took another sip. 

Kylo looked slightly uncomfortable, but he held up his own drink. “Would you like to try mine?” 

Rey looked him in the eyes, the straw of her drink between her lips. Kylo stared back at her. She was so beautiful with beautiful hazel eyes filled with such innocence and determination. And despite everything that he knew she had been through, there was still joy in her, innocent and pure joy. 

Rey smiled at him and leaned over to take the offered sip. She gasped when she sat back, but laughed softly. “Oh, that’s...” she blinked and swallowed with a nod. “That’s strong.” 

Ben blushed and smiled just slightly. “It is a little.” 

They were awkwardly quiet for a few seconds before Ben spoke again. “I came looking for you because the dreams I had...they were...dark.” 

Rey sipped her drink, glancing around at the rainbow of colors, people dancing, bright lights...she wasn’t sure if it was the drink or the fight, but she was feeling more relaxed as she glanced back at Ben. 

“I’m fine,” she said putting her now empty drink down. “I’m working to build my own lightsaber.” 

Ben lifted his brows at her in question as he sipped his own drink. The bartender reappeared and placed another blue drink in front of Rey. 

Kylo frowned at the man as he hurried off. 

Rey nodded picking up the refilled drink and sipping again, this time with a little more vigor. “Yes. I got the crystal I needed, but we had a problem with the Falcon and...” 

She giggled. “Your father’s ship is like an old droid, always something wrong with it, but I love it. I love that ship.” 

Kylo frowned still nursing his drink as Rey quickly finished off her second. He remembered a time when he loved that ship too...but as he grew older he had felt that his father loved that ship more then him or even his mother. 

He decided to change the subject. She was trying to build her own lightsaber; that seemed innocent enough, perhaps his dreams had been wrong after all... 

“Maybe I can help you with the lightsaber?” he ventured softly. 

Rey beamed at him. “Really?” 

Kylo shrugged. “Why not? I built my own...both times. It’s a rite of passage.” 

Kylo felt something in his chest loosen as he tilted his head and gazed at Rey. She was all smiles as she reached out and laid her hand on his arm. “That would be wonderful Ben!” 

He smiled a little, a curve to his lips that was uncommon. He liked the way she was looking at him right now, as if he was somebody, somebody to trust, someone she actually liked...He couldn’t remember the last time anyone actually liked him...not that he deserved it he thought, not in a very long time. 

Rey’s smile at Ben broadened a fraction. He was so handsome, so sweet...but so damaged and all she wanted to do was make him smile, to let him know he wasn’t alone, that she was here and she understood. She let out a breath and smiled. She was feeling warm, more relaxed than she ever recalled feeling in her entire life. She felt so relaxed here with Ben, she couldn’t seem to stop herself from giggling a little. Even with the small smile on his lips, he looked so serious, so somber. 

“I’ve never danced before, have you?” she asked Ben. 

Ben looked startled, caught off guard by her question. “No, not really,” he answered clearly confused. 

Rey hopped off her stool and swayed slightly. She blinked several times as the floor spun for a second or two before she reached out and grabbed Ben’s hand, tugging him off his stool and nearly causing him to spill his drink. 

“Come on. Let’s try it!” Rey smiled brightly. “I’ve always wanted to dance, but just never had a reason.” 

Kylo let himself be tugged along completely confused by her behavior, but he would be a fool to say he didn’t enjoy being the focus of Rey’s attentions. 

* 

The dance floor was highlighted by colorful balls of light that floated everywhere in the darkened club. The music that played was soft at the moment, encouraging couples to dance slowly, to hold each other close. There were several couples on the floor already, making the dance floor only a little crowded. Rey happily dragged Ben onto the floor before she turned around and draped her arms over his shoulders just as she saw the other dancers doing. Her smile was bright and the colored lights danced across her face, made her eyes twinkle like stars. 

Ben looked shy and awkward instead of the confident leader of the New Order and the Knights of Ren. At the moment, he simply looked like an awkward young man in the embrace of a young woman whom he adored and had no way of fully explaining to her how he felt about her. 

He put his hands on her waist and for a moment neither of them did anything other than stand on the dance floor looking at each other. 

Rey frowned as she glanced at the other dancers then back to Ben. “Hold me tighter, we’re doing it wrong.” 

Ben looked around at the other club patrons, his face going pale, but he stepped closer to Rey and wrapped his arms around her. Rey smiled brightly up at hi and Ben’s heart skipped a beat. They moved in place instead of gliding around the dance floor. Neither of them knew the specifics of how to dance, but Ben felt safer just swaying to the music instead of taking the chance of making a fool of himself by trying to move Rey around the dance floor. 

Rey gazed up at Ben and asked softly. “Will you come with me? I’m not just building my lightsaber, but I’m on a quest too.” 

“A quest?” Ben asked with a slight furrow of his brow. 

“Yes...you wanna come?” She grinned. 

Ben tilted his head as he realized he was about to do something that could be monumentally stupid. He was already putting his position as head of the New Order in danger by leaving it vacant while Hux, dangerous and unwatched, roamed around freely on his ship. This could end badly in so many ways for him, but as he looked down at Rey in his arms, he realized all of that didn’t matter. What mattered was her and what she thought. He had told her once to let the past die, kill it if you need to...perhaps... 

Rey smiled, leaning in closer to him. “Well?” 

Ben smiled softly. “Yes, I’ll come with you.” 

Rey’s smile widened. Her smile, her face was the most beautiful thing Ben had ever seen, more beautiful than the double sunset he had seen on Tatooine as a child… 

He leaned down, gazing into her hazel eyes. At this moment anything seemed possible, and maybe he really could leave the past behind... 

Rey rose up slowly on her tiptoes, her lips mere inches from his...she was overwhelmed with feelings, drawn to Ben like no one else in the galaxy. She gazed into his soulful brown eyes, losing herself as her lips came close enough that she could feel the warmth of his breath caressing her lips...


	8. Small Steps

Rey and Ben heard a roar that reverberated across the dance floor at the very moment his lips were about to touch hers. What happened next occurred so quickly that neither of them had time to react. A split second after hearing the cry of a furious wookie, Ben was yanked out of Rey’s arms. Rey stumbled forward a few steps when Ben was pulled away from her only to look up and see Chewbacca holding Ben by the back of his neck, having lifted the dark-haired man off his feet completely with one hand. The lights continued to flash across the club while the other patrons continued to dance, but spreading out, creating a circle around the wookie and the two humans. Everyone, including security and the bartender, ignored the wookie and the young man he had grabbed. As Rey’s eyes shot around looking for help, she realized no one was foolish enough to want to mess with a wookie who was clearly violently upset. As long as Chewbacca wasn’t trying to cut their air off, no one cared to interfere. 

Ben’s eyes widened and his hands flew up to grab at Chewbacca’s furry hand, his feet kicking in the air as he struggled to breathe; his eyes were bulging looking down at Rey. Rey felt her heart thump painfully inside her chest when she saw Chewbacca’s fingers pressed into Ben’s throat at the same time Chewie shook Ben hard enough that Ben dropped his arms, his face beginning to turn from red to blue. Chewbacca roared again, shaking Ben and saying something so loudly and quickly that Rey couldn’t follow while he continued to shake Ben’s whole body like a toy. Ben did nothing, and stopped struggling ,though she could see it was hard for him not to fight back. Rey was sure Ben could have used the Force against Chewie, done something to fight back if he had wanted to, but he did nothing. Ben simply let Chewbacca choke him. 

Ben’s wide eyes looked to Rey and her heart nearly stopped as she realized he was ready to let Chewbacca kill him, ready to die at the moment. Just as this realization washed over her she felt a spike of intense emotion, regret, pain, loss, deep sadness, and self-loathing that was so dark and hate-filled, directed at himself. It was so personal that Rey felt shame at even feeling it with him, and something else, something directed at her, though she couldn’t piece it together because even now, Ben was hiding it from her. (Trisae felt it too. She was shocked at first, but the boy and Rey had a deeper connection than she would have thought possible. They were bonded, but not simply on a surface level; this was something else, something deeper and far more intricate than she had ever seen or heard of before between two Force users. All of which meant she needed to hide herself even deeper in Rey or this Ben Solo--or Kylo Ren whichever was his true name--would definitely feel her presence. Trisae was pleased. This knowledge made her acquisition of both the girl and the boy that much more important. To have control of two such gifted Force users...she smiled inwardly. What she could accomplish was endless with these two at her side and under her control.) 

Chewbacca glared at Rey before he turned and carried the choking Ben off the dance floor. He was walking at a quick pace, patrons scattering to get out of the angry wookie’s way, fleeing to the side with dirty looks or no reaction at all, so accustomed to getting out of the way of things that didn’t involve them that the club goers didn’t even give Rey, the wookie, and Ben a second glance. Rey was forced to jog in order to keep up. 

“Chewie!! Please!! Put him down!! You are going to kill him!!” Rey called trying to be heard over the sounds of the music while she chased after the wookie, but Chewbacca ignored her, moving with purpose to the other side of the bar, carrying the choking Ben with him until he stopped, turned the man who had been his long time companion’s offspring and slammed Ben against the wall between two booths. The occupants of the booths glanced over before turning away, ignoring what was happening. 

Ben gasped in pain and his eyes rolled for a moment. It was clear to Rey that Ben was running out of time. She could feel Ben’s will giving out. Chewbacca was killing him. 

“Chewie!! Please!!” Rey grabbed Chewbacca’s arm. “Please Chewie, I know you are upset with him and I understand, I do, but…” Her voice dropped though she was sure the wookie could hear her despite the loud pounding of the music, “He’s in pain too Chewbacca...please, just give him a chance. You don’t know what Snoke did to him, what that man put him through…” Rey looked at Ben, whose eyes had rolled back as a small trickle of blood began to roll down from Ben’s nose. 

“YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT LUKE DID TO HIM!!!” Rey yelled at the same time she grabbed Chewbacca’s arm and pulled. 

Chewbacca looked down at her, then at Ben. He made a soft sound of pain before he dropped Ben and stepped back. 

Ben hit the floor, falling on his side, gasping and coughing. Rey dropped to her knees next to him. 

“Ben? Ben?” She didn’t know what to do for him. He began to struggle to sit up, continuing to cough and fighting for a breath. She could see the bruises on his throat when she took his arm and pulled him to a sitting position. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder and pulled him closer looking up at Chewbacca who was staring down at Ben with a combination of deep sadness and anger. 

“Can you get him some water or something?” Rey asked. 

Chewbacca shot her a look, his dark eyes hard, but the wookie stalked off heading to the bar. Rey turned her attention back to Ben. “Are you all right?” 

Ben took a deep breath wincing. “Yes, I’m…” He coughed and wiped the blood from his nose before he answered. “I’m fine.” 

Rey frowned looking into his face. “Why didn’t you do anything to stop him from choking you like that?” 

Ben glanced at her from under his lashes before he spoke, his voice strained. “Don’t you think I deserve it?” 

Rey pressed her teeth into her bottom lip. She wasn’t sure how she felt. He had killed his father...Han Solo. For the brief time she had known the old smuggler and hero of the Rebel Alliance, had seemed like a good man, a good, kind man, but she had only known him for a very short time. She hadn’t grown up with him. She had felt Ben’s memories when they had first connected and now. She knew that Ben had been fully aware of how his father felt about him, the fear that Han Solo had carried with him in regards to his only child, yet Ben had loved his father unconditionally as only a child could. Even as his father’s fear of him grew, Ben loved him deeply. Han had feared what Ben would become, had feared that as Ben grew stronger he would become more and more like his grandfather. 

Even at the very moment Ben had killed his father, Rey knew that Ben loved Han, loved him deeply, but as a broken man, Ben hadn’t been able to forgive him. At the moment he killed his father, he had realized that he couldn’t forgive Han for all the years that had passed since Han had pulled away from him. 

“I believe in second chances,” Rey said simply. 

Ben stared at her as if she had grown a second head, but before he could respond to her, Chewbacca returned and handed her a glass of something so blue it almost hurt the eyes. She looked to Chewbacca and smiled, but the wookie’s face looked sullen and closed off--if she was reading the wookie’s expression correctly. She took the drink and handed it to Ben. 

“Here--sip on this, slowly.” 

Ben nodded and took the drink. He sipped it, coughed gently, and took another sip. Rey turned her attention to Chewbacca. “Ben is coming with us.” 

Chewbacca snarled, but Rey frowned at him. “I need his help. I need someone to help me with making my own lightsaber...I need a teacher.” 

(Trisae tensed slightly when she heard Rey, but quickly calmed herself reminding herself that this was perfect--she wanted them together.) 

Ben looked between them while he sipped the drink which surprised him when he took his first sip since the drink was sweet, for some reason he expect Chewbacca to feed him something hot and stinging. Perhaps that said more about him than Chewie that the drink was sweet and smooth. 

Ben looked at Rey, glancing at Chewie from the corner of his eye. “Perhaps we should meet for dinner. We can discuss what is going on with the ship and your saber.” His voice sounded rough still, but he did not immediately cough. 

Chewbacca snarled something which made Rey wince before she turned her attention back to Ben. “Chewbacca says he can take care of the ship without your help.” 

Ben’s nose wrinkled slightly. “I haven’t been gone so long I don’t understand him,” he said, his tone slightly clipped as he spoke, but he nodded. “I understand. Besides, no one except my father knew that ship better than Chewbacca.” 

Chewbacca hissed, showing his teeth and Ben looked pale. 

Rey sighed. She knew this wasn’t going to be easy even as the words had tumbled out of her mouth asking Ben to come with her, but now she realized it might be impossible. 

“Dinner sounds like a good idea.” Rey stood, putting out a hand to help Ben to his feet. “Are you sure you are all right?” 

Ben nodded, reaching up to touch the sides of his throat. “I’ll be fine. I can meet you outside the south entrance to the shipyard if that sounds good to you?” 

Rey nodded. “South entrance. What time?” 

“Say in an hour?” Ben asked, his expression unsure. 

Rey smiled. “In an hour.” 

Ben nodded, glancing toward Chewbacca before he said softly. “I know you will never believe me, but I…” Ben stopped, his brow furrowing before he spoke again, his voice tight. “I regret what I did. I...I didn’t want to…” 

Chewbacca snarled and Ben closed his eyes. His lip trembled for a moment. Rey reached out to lay a hand on his arm, but Ben pulled away, though not angrily, he simply took a step back. She could sense that he didn’t feel deserving of sympathy, his self-loathing was deep, deep and ingrained into him by Snoke’s words and by Luke’s betrayal. 

He nodded to her, then to Chewbacca. “In an hour,” he said softly before he turned and walked quickly away. 

* 

Rey left the club with Chewbacca by her side. The wookie continued to grumble under his breath while the two of them made their way through the heavily crowded corridors. She knew he wanted to argue against allowing Ben on the ship or to be with them at all, but the wookie was willing to wait until they returned to the Falcon before he voiced his displeasure. 

Rey frowned in thought, not sure what more she could say to convince the wookie when she heard the soft whisper of Trisae’s voice. 

“So tell me, who is this man to you?” Trisae asked. “Is he the one that you dwell on when your thoughts wander?” 

Rey frowned and silently answered. “Yes.” 

“Is that why you want him with us?” Trisae whispered. 

Rey dragged her front teeth over her bottom lip thinking at Trisae. “I don’t...I don’t know--maybe. He needs helps.” 

“Help how?” Trisae smiled to herself, but she knew the answer already. She could feel it in Rey, the way the girl not only dwelled on thoughts of this man, but the need she had, a need to save him from the darkness he carried. Trisae found that interesting, this girl who had lived her entire life alone, fighting for everything she had, felt compelled to help this man who had so many advantages growing up that she never had. But then again, she could see the appeal. He was broken, Ben/Kylo was a broken man, who, while he had a family who loved him, their love was not without boundaries and barriers, not without limits. They had lived in fear of the boy and pushed him away. Rey understood how he felt, that isolation. It was one of the aspects that drew her to him. 

But Trisae also felt power. Power was drawn to power. 

Rey’s mental voice was soft. “I want to bring him toward the light. I still believe he can be saved. I just can’t stop believing that it’s possible to save him.” 

“His salvation is important to you,” Trisae stated simply and Rey nodded. “It is. I can’t believe anyone is so far gone into the darkness that they can’t be brought back into the light.” 

Trisae murmured. “Did you ever consider that perhaps the problem is not whether he needs to be brought into the light, but perhaps that his darkness needs only to be accepted? The dark side is many things and not all of them are evil.” 

Trisae hesitated as she felt out Rey’s reaction. The young woman was listening, though she could feel the conflict in her. Despite that hesitation, Rey was listening to Trisae’s words. 

“The dark side is pure emotion, it looks into what is the strongest in us and highlights that power. Where as the light side speaks of peace, serenity, it also asks that we cut off our ties, restrict our emotions, to try to be these pillars of reason, judges free from emotion.” She waited for Rey to question her, or protest, but Rey continued to listen. “The light side has much to offer. It teaches compassion, understanding, but at the same time it wants us to feel nothing for anyone--or the same for everyone. The light doesn’t take into account that hearts don’t work that way. The light is not just about control, but suppression, pretending we no longer feel anything, pretending that we no longer want anything, taking away our wants and desires. The light side wants us not to love, not to desire, to take away so many things that make living worthwhile, to be replaced with contemplation, reason, and compassion. But these are not real feelings of love, joy, anger. The dark side is a release of emotion, it allows us to feel our emotions, our passions, our fear, our anger more deeply and to use these feelings. The dark is not only about power as the Jedi have always taught, it is about letting yourself be who you are, about freedom, freedom to choose and most importantly, the dark side wants you to love, to live by your choices rather than by the choices of others. The young man you worry for, he feels everything deeply, probably more deeply than others, but he grew up being told that was wrong, that he is evil, that he will always be evil. He has been hurt deeply by everyone he cared about and now he struggles. He is lost and alone...” Trisae let her voice die slowly on a whisper as she waited for Rey to respond. 

Rey frowned. “Do you think we can help him?” 

Trisae felt satisfaction. Ah, there it was, that deep concern, that need to save the boy she loved even if Rey didn’t realize that love was what she was feeling. Rey’s love was twisting around with her other new feelings that the young woman didn’t understand completely, her feelings of sexual attraction, something this girl had never felt before. It was a mix of lust with a need to heal, her search for someone who truly understood her and finding it in this broken young man. A blossoming bud of love and understanding for this Ben was what Trisae could use to turn the girl toward the dark. It was all so perfect! With the young man already so far down the path of darkness, pulling Rey along would be so easy. Love and fear always went hand in hand, especially for those who had never truly experienced those emotions. And while Trisae couldn’t be completely sure unless she touched on the young man’s mind, she was confident from what she had gathered from Rey and from her passing observation that this Ben had never felt love like this either. It will be so easy, she thought, so easy to turn Rey and to pull the young man down with her. Soon, Trisae would have two of the strongest dark side users anyone had ever seen at her side, as her pupils and under her guidance! 

Trisae was thankful that Rey couldn’t actually see her face because she was afraid her expression would most definitely expose her; Trisae couldn’t quite hide her excitement. Her voice was a soft caress when she answered Rey. “Yes, yes I think we can. I think you can save him Rey. But first, you should buy yourself something to wear to dinner. Something beautiful.” 

Rey frowned and nearly stumbled at the sudden change in Trisae’s tone and subject. Her misstep earned her a strange look from Chewbacca. Rey gave him an apologetic expression before she returned her attention to Trisae, the look on her face confused while she inquired silently. “Why?” 

Trisae laughed, the sound was like a brush of a desert breeze in Rey’s mind. “Because my dear, you want to look lovely for your young man, don’t you? You don’t want him to doubt that you want him on your ship, want him to come with you?” 

Rey wrinkled her nose in annoyance. “I don’t think I need a dress for that.” 

Trisae smiled. “My dear, you like this young man, care for him--correct?” 

Rey swallowed uncomfortably. “I...I care what happens to him. I can still sense the good in him…” 

Trisae continued to smile inwardly, her voice soft. “Of course, but why not try to look nice for him?” 

Rey chewed her bottom lip. “I don’t...I don’t know. I don’t really have the extra funds...” 

Trisae would have hidden her smile if she had a body. This was a perfect opportunity she thought while her soothing voice murmured. “My dear, it’s just a dress. I’m sure together we can find a way for you to purchase something suitable…” 

* 

Rey found herself several minutes later in part of the ships busy market area. She frowned slightly as she stood on the edge looking into the market area that seemed on stretch forever. The area had a large domed ceiling adorned with a holo scene of a sky from some planet she didn’t know, at twilight. The colors were a mix of pinks and blues with wispy clouds moving across the screen. From the domed ceiling there were slick, white pillars that ran along the sides of the room, while on these pillars were large, oval shaped lights. The lights of the market were not bright and harsh, but rather gave off a warm, orange glow that made Rey think of sunsets back on Jakku. But once her eyes were again level with the market she couldn’t really make out anymore details. There was simply so much going on, it was difficult for her eye to stop on one thing. There were what looked like doorways to actual shops with bright electrical lighting in a variety of colors designed to lure customers in, to what looked like hundreds of stalls outside the shops selling everything from pots and pans, to exquisite, exotic plants and animals to cloth that shimmered and shifted into new colors and designs as the wearer moved. It was a great deal to take in! 

Rey stood there for a moment lost in the immensity of the market, but also feeling a gnawing ache in her chest. She had lied to Chewie. Well, it wasn’t exactly a lie, she thought, but she had given a vague reason for not coming directly back to the ship with him and, with Trisae’s help, she had used a slight amount of the Force to influence her words so that Chewbacca didn’t question her. He had simply grunted his displeasure, but hadn’t argued, and headed back to the ship. 

She wasn’t sure why she had influenced the wookie. There hadn’t really been much reason behind it except Trisae had convinced her she needed a dress and the wookie wouldn’t understand. 

Rey frowned and worried at her lip. It bothered her that she had lied, but...well, Trisae had been correct. Chewbacca was already unhappy, he didn’t need to know she was purchasing a dress. 

Rey hissed in her mind. “So where do I even start?” 

Trisae smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll be on the lookout, you just wade in and start moving around.” 

Rey sighed and nodded before she dove into the crowd. 

* 

Rey moved through the throng of people, slipping easily in and out of clusters of people, looking around at the many shops and carts. There was just so much variety! She hadn’t realized that there were so many things one could buy! Back on Jakku mostly what the merchants sold were food items, weapons, some practical clothing and tools. There had been a few who once in a while sold other things like jewelry made from bone, or roughly made toys, but those types of merchants were few and far between. Rey had always wondered how they survived on Jakku selling such useless things, but they had. 

Rey was beginning to become slightly dizzy with all the lights, colors, sounds, and people when Trisae hissed in her mind. “Turn my dear, there is what you must wear.” 

Rey turned to see a shop with large, rounded windows and several dresses on display in those windows. The clothing was displayed on perfectly white, featureless droids that moved back and forth, changing their poses constantly, displaying the clothing from every angle, but Rey could tell exactly which one Trisae was focused on. 

The dress was made of a white cloth that had special fibers woven through it that looked silver, but would occasionally produce bursts of radiance. Rainbow colors would burst across the dress like streaking stars across a night sky. The dress wrapped around the body, twisting in a complicated pattern around the torso until the material dropped off the shoulders in a short cape. Around the middle of the dress was a silver corset with engraved squares that formed a circle of designs across the metal of the corset. 

Rey blushed as she looked at the dress. It had a deep dip in the front between the breasts, and was very, very short. The shoes that the droid wore with the dress were silver, yet only the heel and bottom of the shoe was visible, a rich, silver color that caught the light with light brown leather straps that wrapped around the ankle and part way up the calf. 

“I don’t know…” Rey whispered out loud. “That dress shows so much and I don’t think I could walk in those shoes.” 

Trisae laughed. “Oh my dear, the shoes are easy. You could simply use the Force to help you stay steady in them. As for the dress, it is quite modest really and you will look beautiful, I promise. Now, go inside and purchase it.” 

Rey murmured. “It looks so expensive.” 

Trisae smiled. “Money is not a problem my dear. Now go.” 

She gave Rey a mental nudge and Rey stepped through the doorway. 

* 

The inside of the shop was all white and silver. Here the lighting had a silver tone to it, making everything glitter. It was almost too much Rey thought as she squinted. There were several people in here shopping, not all of them humanoid in shape. Rey made her way to the display where the droid continued to pose in the dress. 

Rey leaned toward it. “Hello, ah, how much is that dress and the shoes?” 

The droid turned to Rey with a smile. “This outfit is only four hundred credits; the shoes are only seventy-five credits.” 

Rey choked. “What?” 

Several people in the shop turned to look at her. Rey blushed hissing at Trisae. “We can’t afford that!” 

Trisae smiled. “Ask for the dress and shoes.” 

“I can’t,” Rey protested, but Trisae pushed gently. “Do you not want Ben to see you in this? Imagine his expression. He has never seen you in a dress…” 

“I just...” Rey murmured, but Trisae whispered. “Do you want him to see you as a woman Rey?” She made sure not to push too hard, her influence was gentle, like a caress. She didn’t want Rey to feel the push, to be aware of it or she would fight back. This young woman didn’t know her own strength, so she brushed her fingertips against Rey’s will gently. “It’s only a dress and shoes, no harm will come to these people. You want Ben to see you Rey, to see you as a woman...a beautiful woman.” 

Rey frowned and murmured. “A woman…” 

Trisae smiled again. “Yes.” 

Rey turned to the droid. “I would like to purchase this.” 

* 

Rey left the shop with the dress and shoes in a bag. It hadn’t taken much to convince the shop owner to simply let her have the outfit with Trisae’s guidance in how to gently use the Force to influence, but not bully her will onto the shop owner. Rey promised herself to return and pay the owner later. Now Rey was standing in a public restroom in front of a mirror wearing the dress and shoes. Part of her hair at her temples was pulled back and held in place with a decorative silver clip (again she had used her abilities to will the vendor to give her the clip and again Rey had promised herself to return and pay for the hair ornament.) A few loose strands framed her face while the rest of her hair rested softly on her shoulders. She frowned as she looked at her reflection. Her hair had grown longer without her realizing it as she touched the ends of her hair. 

She turned to look at herself in the dress. It felt strange, it was so revealing showing off her finely toned legs, her slender figure and arms. The dip in the front of the dress made her feel exposed, but Trisae’s tone held a smile. “You look lovely my dear. You don't even need makeup to enhance your face. You are quite beautiful.” 

Rey frowned. “Do you really think he will like this?” 

Trisae laughed softly. “I promise, your Ben will not be able to take his eyes off of you.” 

* 

Kylo waited at the south entrance. He had changed clothing feeling that a change of clothing would be appropriate. Normal people changed for dinner, didn’t they he wondered. He wanted to try to be somewhat normal, regular despite the fact that neither he nor Rey were simply regular people. He frowned and tugged at his shirt. Now that he was standing here overthinking it, he felt foolish. He wanted to impress her, but at the same time felt like a fool for it. 

He was dressed in black (which seemed to be the only color that suited him anymore he thought), black pants that hugged his muscular legs, with a pair of knee high black boots. He wore a snug fitting, long sleeved top that also displayed his muscular physique, with a long jacket over the top that hung to the top of his boots. The jacket easily hid the saber he wore on his side, masking the weapon in shadows. 

Kylo was completely unaware of the appreciative looks he was receiving from many people who passed him. He tried not to fidget while he waited, the memory of his mother scolding him when he would fidget during long, ceremonial presentations which had seemed to run on forever, came rushing back to him. He smiled slightly at the memory because those were the times his father would slip him a piece of loovar candy, or some other sweet treat with a wink and a silently mouthed, “Don’t tell your mother.” 

Kylo closed his eyes as the memory brought with it a sharp pain. 

He had just opened his eyes again when he saw her, Rey, hurrying across the shipyard wearing a dress that...Kylo’s brain seemed unable to form words. 

He had always known she was beautiful, from the very moment he had seen her, there had been no one else in the galaxy so beautiful, but dressed as she was, her hair down around her shoulders, she looked... 

He couldn’t think of words appropriate to describe her. She was more lovely than a Garnib crystal, any flower he had ever seen, more breathtaking than any sunset on any of the many worlds he had ever viewed. 

“Ben!” Rey called out when she saw him and hurried over. Her cheeks were red, but her eyes were dancing and her smile was open and bright, he thought. 

Rey grinned. “So, ah, ready?” 

Ben nodded. “Ah...yes..” 

He put his arm out to her and Rey wrapped her arm around his. Ben felt a blush creep up his neck to his cheeks, but he actually smiled a little as they two of them set off for dinner as all of Rey’s doubts about what she had done today fell away under Ben’s smile.


	9. Enemies and Pudding

...A few days after Rey and Chewbacca first left Leia and the Resistance to look for Luke Skywalker. 

* 

The bar, The Midnight Outfitters and Cantina, made up the main body of the Midnight Space Rest, a space station in the Outer Regions that floated in the middle of nowhere. It provided food, drink, and provisions for all the villainy of the galaxy, at least as far as Hux was concerned. If he had his way, places like this would be blown out of existence, disintegrated into so much space dust along with everyone on it. But places like this did have their uses, as much as Hux hated to admit it. It was because of one of those particular uses that Hux was here now, undercover. Armitage Hux was dressed in black, casual clothing, trying to fit in with the rest of the clientele of this place, yet he still maintained the stiff back and uplifted nose of a New Order officer. He walked into the seedy bar, his nose slightly wrinkled. The place was crawling with vermin and scum. It stank like old Rodian splice, several different kinds of urine, and the press of many unwashed bodies. It was disgusting, he thought with a sneer. 

Behind Hux and slightly to his left was Phasma. Hux glanced over at her doing his best not to look her up and down, but it was hard not to. She looked quite different out of her uniform. Hux’s attraction to her was intense and the way she was dressed for this mission was doing nothing to quell the raw animal feeling of need he felt when gazing at her. 

General Phasma was not in her uniform, and like him, she was in casual clothing, trying to blend into the crowds on this space station, but there was no one she could blend in with anywhere. Not only was she taller than most life-forms in this room, she was the most beautiful creature in the room--or that he had ever seen for that matter--Hux thought. She wore a dress, which alone was enough to have Hux staring at her. The garment was black, threaded with gold, and caught the lights of the station in a way that made her glow. The dress was quite short, the loose, flowing material ended just below her hips, barely covering her upper thighs, and showed off her long, muscular legs, which were further enhanced by the heelless shoes she wore that wrapped up her calves with thick black straps. Hux’s mind wandered to images of her tied down...under his control. He smirked, filing those thoughts away for some later evening. 

The dress had a halter top that wrapped around her throat, leaving her muscular arms bare, enhancing the shape of her breasts under the pull of the material. Her short blonde hair was combed to the side with a wave that flowed along the side of her head. Her incredible blue eyes were highlighted by black, winged liner. Hux found Phasma very distracting at the best of times, but right now she was downright irresistible. 

Hux felt a grin pull at his lips. The chance to see her out of her uniform was the highlight of an otherwise distasteful, if necessary, trip. Additionally, Phasma was the only one on the ship he trusted. She would keep this trip secret. She had, in fact, kept all his secrets without once asking for something in return. Even after they killed his father, she had asked for nothing but her place in the New Order, at his side. He wasn’t sure why she continued to stay with him, why she didn’t want more favors in return, but he secretly hoped that perhaps there was some mutual attraction on her part which prompted her to help him whenever he needed assistance. 

Hux walked further into the bar, looking around for his contact. He frowned, narrowing his eyes until he saw the man he was looking for sitting at the bar. The man that Hux had his eye on was a Chiss. The Chiss male sat at the bar dressed simply in brown trousers, brown boots and with a matching top that looked as if the material were crossing his body in a series of snug zigzags that ran back and forth, wrapping tightly around his torso. Over his shirt he wore a simple flight jacket that could be seen on any pilot in any space station just about anywhere in the galaxy. The jacket was a simple brown leather jacket with the look of something that had been worn often by pilots all over the universe. The Chiss, like most of his people, had dark blue skin, though he wore long, even darker blue hair that almost seemed black, that fell down his back in a tight braid. 

Hux frowned with a glance over at Phasma. 

She narrowed her eyes at the Chiss before she murmured. “He seems unarmed, but with the jacket and this angle I can’t see if he has anything concealed. I would guess that he does sir.” 

Hux sighed, slumping slightly. “I asked you not to call me that while we are out like this.” 

Phasma frowned looking very uncomfortable, but she murmured. “Armitage.” 

Hux smiled. “Yes, better. Now, let’s go meet our hunter.” 

Hux pushed his way through the crowded bar heading toward the Chiss. He stopped just to the side of the man, standing imperiously straight, his hands behind his back. Hux asked loudly. “Are you Dosk'awael'iaquo?” 

The Chiss looked at Hux, his red eyes boring into the human; stern enough that Hux began to become a little nervous under those red eyes before the Chiss turned away and picked up his drink, a dark green liquid that looked repulsive to Hux. 

The Chiss replied. “I go by Dosk.” 

Hux glanced at Phasma who gave him a slight shrug of her lovely shoulders. Hux frowned then glanced at the two occupied seats next to Dosk. Without exchanging a word, Phasma grabbed the two humanoid patrons that currently occupied those seats and yanked them off. The two people yelled, turning to fight whoever had yanked them off their stools only to see Phasma glowering at them. Neither one felt up to fighting her and quickly hurried off to another section of the bar, leaving their drinks behind. 

Hux took the seat nearest Dosk, while Phasma took the one on the other side of her commander. The bartender, a besalisk with light lime colored skin wearing an apron that looked as if it had once been white, stepped over to them. “What can I get you?” 

Hux frowned, unsure if he wanted a drink in this place while Phasma asked. “Can you make a gardulla?” 

The Besalisks grinned. “Can I? Be prepared to be amazed.” 

Phasma smiled at the bartender in a way that made Hux angry. He knew she wasn’t flirting with the alien, but still, he wanted that smile directed at him--though he wasn’t sure how to go about getting her to smile. He had never been good with women, ever. 

He put his hand up to get the bartender’s attention. “I’ll have the same as my friend.” 

The bartender glanced over at Hux with a slight frown, followed by a nod. “Sure thing.” 

The bartender stepped away and Hux turned his attention back to the stranger named Dosk. “You received the information I sent?” Hux asked leaning forward and whispering. “You looked through it?” 

A momentary expression of annoyance passed over the Chiss’s features. “If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t be meeting with you, and you don’t have to whisper. No one here is going to care about our business.” 

Hux wrinkled his nose before he continued. “Then I’m assuming since you are here, you find the assignment and the money acceptable?” 

Dosk nodded as he picked up his drink and took a sip before he answered. “You want me to hunt down a human girl named Rey. You want me to kill her and in exchange, you’ll pay me twenty thousand credits, correct?” 

Hux nodded. “Yes. I’ve sent you the image of the girl.” 

Dosk nodded. “Got it,” he confirmed. “Though I have to say, she doesn’t look like much of a threat.” 

Hux snarled. “She is. Just get her out of the way, send me a vid of her death and I’ll send your pay.” 

Dosk glanced sideways at Hux. “Half now.” 

Hux frowned. “What?” 

The bartender came over placing a long, thin glass in front of Hux. The liquid inside was a dark, almost nauseating shade of green. Hux frowned at the drink, but said nothing; instead he picked it up and sniffed it. The drink smelled slightly sour. Hux set the drink back down before he returned his attention to Dosk. “You didn’t say anything about wanting half your payment now.” 

Dosk shook his head. “You really are new at this aren’t you? Any hunter worth his salt will want half payment up front, the rest when the job is done. You won’t find anyone else who will do the job without payment up front.” 

Hux frowned, but sighed. He wanted Rey dead. That girl had become an unhealthy obsession of Kylo Ren’s. It wasn’t that Hux cared one bit about the brooding lapdog of Snoke, but this obsession of his had lost them Starkiller, but worse of all, Snoke was focused on the girl as well. Hux didn’t know or care what was special about her, but he just knew in his gut, she needed to be dealt with. 

Hux ran his tongue over his top teeth in aggravation before he finally snarled. “Fine.” He turned toward Phasma who was enjoying her drink, her attention divided between watching the patrons of the bar for threats and listening to Hux’s conversation. She caught Hux’s movement and immediately turned her full attention to him. 

“Do it,” Hux hissed. 

Phasma nodded and pulled out a small device that was hidden between her breasts. Hux looked on in surprise, his eyes going straight to her cleavage, surprised that she had a device hidden there; it made him wonder what other surprises she had hidden on her person. 

Phasma tapped her finger over the small pad’s surface before she looked up and said softly. “Done sir.” 

Hux frowned and Phasma quickly corrected herself. “Done Armitage.” 

He smiled and turned his attention back to Dosk. “How long will it take?” 

Dosk shrugged. “It’ll take as long as it takes unless you know exactly where she is?” 

Dosk turned in his seat to lift his eyebrows at Hux who snarled. “No, I don’t. Last word we had from one of our sources said she had left with a wookie on that trash can the Millennium Falcon.” 

Dosk stilled. “The Falcon?” 

Hux narrowed his eyes at Dosk, who continued, a look on the Chiss’s face that was somewhere between awe and impressed. “The Millennium Falcon? Is this girl related to Han Solo?” 

“No, she isn’t! She is nobody! She is space trash, some little girl that no one even wanted!” Hux slammed his fist down on the bar counter causing the liquid in the drink in front of him to slosh out of the glass. 

Dosk pressed his lips together in a tight smile. “The Falcon will be easy to find. Anyone who sees it will know exactly what that ship is…” 

Hux smiled slowly. “So you’ll be able to find her?” 

Dosk picked his drink up and downed the last of the liquid. “Oh yes, I’ll be able to find her.” 

* 

...The day Kylo Ren left to pursue Rey. 

Jaxor Onone heard the rumor that Kylo Ren had left the ship. No one knew why or where he was going, but rumors were running rampant through the ship. It was clear to everyone that Hux seemed both relieved and angry at the same time at this sudden turn of events; but to Jaxor it was obvious that Hux had no idea why Ren had left or where. None of that mattered to Jaxor, however. He had spent years waiting for such an opportunity and he wasn't going to squander it. He had been silently and slowly preparing for this moment, which was why when he heard that Ren was gone, he had immediately taken action to follow. 

It wouldn’t take Jaxor long to find Kylo Ren. The tracker he had slipped onto Kylo’s ship the moment he had come onto Starkiller base had cost him nearly all of his pay that he received working in the New Order, but it had been worth it. The tracker was small, undetectable by regular scans with a wide broadcast that could be tracked even through hyperspace. Jaxor had to virtually starve himself for months to save up for it, having to grease the hands of many unsavory people, but after over a year, he had the tracker. Now it was time to see if all those credits had been worth the price he paid. 

Jaxor Onone had been a Jedi in training with Luke Skywalker. He had been one of the students there when Ben Solo had destroyed the school with his Knights of Ren. He was one of a handful of students who survived that night, fleeing into the night after their world was plunged into fire. Unlike the others, Jaxor had sworn to himself that he would find a way to take revenge on Solo even if it meant skirting the dark side. 

Skywalker’s temple hadn’t just been a school to Jaxor--it has been his home, his salvation from the junkyards of Coruscant where he had grown up. Watching Solo take all of that away from him had been too much. He had set himself on a course to find and kill Ben Solo, no matter what it took. 

The pledge of revenge he had made hadn’t been as easy to accomplish as he had hoped. Insinuating himself into the ranks of the New Order had been difficult with him being near-human. His naturally dark skin disguised the natural faint marks on his face, but with a little cosmetic surgery he had changed his appearance enough to pass as fully human. The next difficult task had been to disguise his Force abilities. He didn’t want Ren or the other Knights--or worse, Snoke--to sense him. That had taken a great deal of training himself to build a wall around himself until he had felt dead inside, but it had all been worth it. The years of working his way through the ranks of the Order to get close to Ben Solo, to get to this very point after years of waiting for Ben Solo, Kylo Ren, to make a mistake, was finally here. Jaxor Onone was going to get the revenge he and all of his fellow students deserved. 

* 

The restaurant on the ship was much different than the bar where Ben and Rey had danced. The restaurant called itself The Nova Encounter and was the most elegant place Rey had ever seen. She was surprised, considering the ship was a flying nightclub. The interior of the restaurant was all cool lighting, jewel tone blues and soft whites with a light, synthetic music playing that created a calm and relaxed atmosphere. A dark red skinned Twi’lek holding a data pad and wearing a black dress that made Rey blush (since it covered very little of her curvy figure) met them at the door. 

She smiled at the both of them, her voice heavily accented as she asked. 

“Name?” 

Ben glanced at Rey before he said softly. “Ben Solo, two.” 

The Twi’lek smiled, checking the data pad she held before looking back up at them. “Your table is right this way please.” 

Ben and Rey followed the Twi’lek to a booth lined with white seats and a clear table. The booth was small, cozy, as well as giving them privacy from the rest of the restaurant’s patrons. Ben handed her into the booth before taking his place next to her. 

The Twi’lek smiled at them both. “Your waiter will be here in a moment to take your drink orders. If you tap the tabletop, the menu will come up for you.” 

Ben nodded. “Thank you.” 

Rey, her voice awestruck as she looked around, spoke softly. “This is so...expensive…” 

Ben laughed; not a full laugh, but a chuckle nonetheless. Rey gave him a sidelong look. “What?” she asked. 

Ben smiled at her. “Just the way you said that.” 

Rey looked slightly offended. “I grew up on Jakku, remember? Expensive is when you got full portions for something you sold, not…” She motioned at the restaurant. “This.” 

Ben bowed his head softly. “I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just I never really think about how places like this would look to someone not used to them. When I was younger, my mother was always having to attend some dinner or meeting in places far grander than this.” He shrugged. “After a while it all became part of the background. I never really “looked” at the places we were…” He took a breath as his words trailed off and sighed softly. “Though my father never felt comfortable in places like this…” He shook his head, dismissing thoughts of the past and tapped the table. “What would you like to drink?” 

Rey frowned. “I don’t know.” She looked down at the menu that popped up on their table. The menu provided not just a listing of what was available, but when tapping on the item name, an image would popped up showing exactly what the food or drink item looked like. Rey frowned as she tapped on names, the items becoming more and more exotic as she made her way down the menu. She glanced over at Ben, looking slightly overwhelmed. 

“There are so many choices…” 

Ben smiled and tapped on a drink. “I would recommend this. It’s called a Blue Giant. It has a distinct fruity flavor to it I think you might like.” 

Rey smiled. “All right, Blue Giant it is.” 

A few seconds later an exceedingly thin, metallic blue droid with a long, oblong shaped head made its way over to their table. “Have you chosen your drink orders?” it inquired in an androgynous voice. 

Ben glanced at Rey before he put their orders in, one Blue Giant and one Black Hole. 

The droid made a soft chiming sound. “Very good. I will return with your drinks momentarily. Please be sure to check out tonight's special--it is T'surys.” 

The droid turned and left, heading off to put in the drink order. 

Rey and Ben sat awkwardly for a moment, neither one sure of what to do with themselves, but Ben was the one to finally break the silence. “So, you are building your own lightsaber?” 

Rey smiled. “Attempting to. I mean, I haven’t exactly started yet, though I do have my crystal.” 

Ben nodded. He wanted to ask her about the crystal, but decided against it for now. Perhaps later once he saw it for himself. 

“We’ll have to make sure you have all the parts you need to craft the handle for your crystal…” Ben began his gaze turning inward as he recalled all the pieces she would need, the lessons of his uncle coming back to him as if he had just learned them yesterday. “You will need modulation circuits and an energy gate, a blade emitter shroud, the emitter matrix and some type of activator to turn your saber on and off. Then, of course, you will need the parts for the handle, hand grip ridges, a blade length adjuster, and since this is your first lightsaber, I would suggest the standard handle--like my uncle’s,” Ben added with a frown. Speaking of his uncle brought a harsh stab of pain to his chest, his heart. He had not fully processed his uncle’s death yet. It was still so new, so odd. He had focused so much hate at his uncle for so many years, thinking, dreaming of the time he would get his revenge for what his uncle had tried to do, that now that he was sure the old man was gone, dead, he didn’t know quite how he felt. Like his father, Luke had been such an important figure to him growing up that the betrayal had cut deeply, a wound he didn’t think would ever heal. 

Ben was pulled from the downward spiral of his thoughts by Rey’s question. “Where am I going to get all of these parts?” 

Ben shook his head to clear away the shadows of the past so he could focus on Rey. 

He smiled at her. “I know it sounds a little intimidating, but if you think about it you probably already have everything you need on the Falcon and you are good with machines so…” 

Rey smiled, already her mind was racing through the possible solutions to creating her lightsaber. She grinned at Ben. “You’re right!” 

Ben nodded. “The most complicated part will be meditating on the crystal--that will take time.” 

Rey lifted her eyebrows. “Meditate on the crystal?” 

He nodded again. “Yes, the idea is that your lightsaber, the crystal heart of it, holds a part of yourself in it. The lightsaber isn’t just a tool, it becomes part of you, part of who you are, an extension of yourself...” 

Ben was interrupted by the droid returning with their drinks. It placed a large glass of something blue and smoky in front of Rey while giving Ben a drink that looked like a black hole she thought. Staring at the dark drink seem to suck you into it, pulling your gaze deeper and deeper. She shuddered and pulled her gaze away, picking up her own drink. 

“Can I take your food order now?” the droid asked. 

Rey and Ben took a minute to quickly decide on their meals before they returned to their discussion. 

Rey wrinkled her nose. “How long does that take? Meditation I mean.” 

Ben frowned in thought. “It depends. For my first lightsaber it didn’t take me very long, a couple of months. My second, longer. I had to pull from deeper within me…” He licked his bottom lip as he remembered building his current saber, the pain and rage he had thrown into the crystal until it had cracked… 

Ben smiled, dismissing his memories. “I will tell you what my uncle told me. It will take as long as it takes, because once you build it, the lightsaber will become your constant companion, your tool, and a ready means of defense." 

Rey responded with a soft laugh. “That sounds like him.” 

They were both silent for a moment. 

Rey turned her glass around in her hands. Ben could sense she wanted to ask him something, so he waited patiently. Rey took a sip of her drink as if seeking strength in the alcohol before she asked softly. “Would you change what happened if you could?” 

Ben frowned gazing into the depths of his own drink. “I...I don’t know...yes...no…” 

Rey frowned. “Do you want to see your mother again?” 

Ben closed his eyes, his lips a thin line. Rey glanced sideways at him watching his face, watching the play of emotions across his features. 

He didn’t open his eyes when he answered. “Yes, but I don’t think that will ever be possible.” 

“I think you’re wrong,” Rey said gently. “I think she would want you back, no matter what has happened. She loves you.” 

Ben murmured. “You can never go home Rey.” He opened his eyes. “You can only go forward, never back.” 

He reached out and laid his hand against her cheek. “The future is all we have.” 

Rey stared back at him. 

* 

Trisae listened to their conversation, keeping her presence pulled back from Rey’s consciousness. The girl had said nothing to her since the taking of the dress, her thoughts consumed with the young man from the moment she set eyes on him again. 

For a moment Trisae panicked when Rey asked the boy about his mother. Going back, Rey returning from wherever it was she had come from, had the potential to completely destroy Trisae’s plans for the girl. The more voices this young woman had encouraging her in other directions, the more chances Trisae had of losing her hold on her. This boy was a danger too, she supposed, but she hoped that his presence could be turned to the spirit’s benefit...and perhaps even become essential to her turning Rey toward the dark. 

As Trisae listened and softly touched along the Force, she picked up on the emotions of the two young people. It was tempting to touch on the young man’s mind, to try to feel out more about him, to identify whether he was a full dark Force user, trained by a Sith or maybe a witch, to learn more about him, because the power that radiated off him was simply delicious! Trisae would be very tempted to transfer her attentions to this Kylo Ren, but she feared that he would be too strong for her to manipulate. She was only gathering surface feelings, but his connection to Rey was very strong. 

Rey kept most of her knowledge of this man sealed off, though the intensity of the girl’s feelings leaked through her barriers, and even without that connection to Kylo Ren/Ben Solo’s mind, Trisae could feel the darkness in him, rolling off of him in waves. The boy was deep in the dark side, but she could also sense a hard, stubborn center of light in him which she found to be a strange contrast to Rey. Rey was surrounded by light, but the girl’s center was grey. Rey’s years of isolation, abuse, and struggle for survival had left the girl with a core mixed with both light and dark, the scales simply waiting for the right amount of pressure to tilt her in one direction or the other. This Luke Skywalker had almost completed tilting Rey toward the light, but Rey’s doubts, anger, fears, her desire for acceptance and family still had prevented her from completely following the light. 

Trisae felt content, however. If she played this game successfully she would have two students instead of one. And two pawns were always better than one. 

* 

A few moments later Ben’s and Rey’s dinners arrived. They spent the next few minutes eating, discussing food, with Rey telling Ben a story about the time she and a few other Jakku orphans, planned a raid on Unkar Plutt’s storage hut. They had succeeded only to find that the rations being stored there were actually all bad, but they didn’t learn that until their little group had gorged themselves on the spoiled rations, only to end up being sick for a few days afterwards. They had been unable to hunt for scraps over those few days and thus had no food. Rey said she supposed it was a lesson on stealing, though Ben said it was more a lesson on being more careful and acquiring good information before planning an attack. 

The droid returned to ask if they would like dessert, with Ben ordering them both white chocolate bread pudding and some vine-coffee. 

Rey smiled. “I’ve never had chocolate before.” 

Ben’s grin made him look younger and more innocent to Rey. “Then you are in for a treat.” 

The droid arrived a few moments later, holding two glass bowls filled with a light, mocha colored creamy pudding and two long, silver spoons. 

“Enjoy,” the droid said as it set the bowls down. 

Rey grinned picking up her spoon and scooping out a generous helping of the pudding. 

Ben spooned up a more modest amount and glanced at Rey to watch her reaction to her first experience with chocolate. Rey put the spoon and its contents in her mouth slowly. Ben watched as her eyes went round with surprise. The smile spreading across her face had him chuckling softly. 

“Like it?” he asked. 

Rey, her mouth full, nodded with enthusiasm. Ben grinned with pleasure, now taking his first bite. He smiled. “Mm, this is quite good.” 

Rey took another large bite. Ben felt the uncharacteristic smile still on his face. “So, besides building your lightsaber, where are you going? Are you returning…” He schooled his tone and facial expression, avoiding saying ‘The Resistance’ with the venom he felt for it; though he realized at the same time that the venom wasn’t as hot as it had been before tonight. Instead he said. “...to my mother?” 

Rey smiled around her mouthful of pudding. “No, actually we are heading to a place called Korriban.” 

Ben smiled and nodded. “Korriban, oh…” He was scooping up another bite when he froze, the spoon held in front of him, pudding dripping off into the bowl as he murmured, his eyes wide. 

“Korriban?”


End file.
